The Garden Of Sinners
by JusKIdding
Summary: Keep walking, she reminded herself. This is a decision she made a long time ago. She kept muttering those words like a mantra. Everything is connected - was another mantra she chanted. She closed her eyes in this already dark world. Tick-tock. Tick-tock. The time is ticking. No rest for her - thanks to her sense of duty. [Indefinite hiatus]
1. Chapter 1 Ambush

**A/N: I do not own MapleStory. I only own my OCs. This is a rewrite of my first fanfiction since I have time for now. The next update is hard to tell as I am busy. Review if you have any comments and suggestions or spot any mistakes during the writing. Please don't hesitate to do that.**

 **Rated T for just in case.  
**

* * *

 **Chapter cover:** A young teenage girl sitting on one of the rooftops of Henesys, staring down at the people of Henesys with a solemn look.

* * *

...

 _I remember dying. It was a strange feeling. I wasn't able to feel any pain but, I felt like a balloon filled with helium. I knew it was my life that was floating away from me._

 _I remember betrayal. It was a thing that I despised the most._

 _His face was burned into my memory and I was mad – mad at his actions. How dare he betray_ all of us!

 _Somehow, I found a burst of energy within myself. I, who was on the verge of death, somehow came back to life but I knew it was temporary. It must be the Transcendent Of Life who helped me. Pain racked my whole body especially when I breathe. My back was wet because of my blood._

 _I glared at my killer. I croaked:_ Idiot, do you have any idea what have you done?

 _I couldn't see his face but I could tell he was shocked. Despite half blind, my sight was clear._

 _He was silent. The aura surrounding him was no ordinary being._

 _I managed to laugh although it hurts. Death is my friend and so is life._

 _I have to help him. He has lost his way. But I won't live long enough to help. After all, my death was by_ his _hands._

 _My eyelids became heavy, my vision became blurred. Before I left this world, I heard my surrogate's mother words:_ We will meet again…

 _We are both dead. How can we meet again? I guess it's up to fate, huh?_

...

* * *

...

The sound of her name being called woke her up. With it, came a soft tap on her right hand.

"What?" asked the young girl, dragging the word with her tongue. Refusing to open her eyes, she swatted whatever obstacles coming towards her right hand. Her ponytail was hung loosely, the hairband threatening to unravel her hair as its grip was loosen.

"C'mon Lea. You _promise_ me to be my partner for today's-" The speaker was silenced with a wave of Lea's hand. Lea opened her eyes and stretched. What greeted her was a blank whiteboard, staring at her.

"I am tired." Lea grumbled, turning to face her friend. She let out a long yawn to prove her point. She blinked at her friend lazily.

He raised an eyebrow. His red eyes were widened with mocking shock. He wore a white singlet with a red sweater on top of it. His pants were torn – fortunately, not at the most embarrassing place.

"But you just have a 2 hours nap!" He retorted.

 _Two hours? Wow._ Lea thought. She covered her mouth to hide her laughter.

"You can't expect me to move at such a _state_ , didn't you?" She drummed the table with her fingers, amused by Dual's spluttering response. His face turned red from embarrassment as he attracted stares from their classmates.

He clicked his tongue impatiently, his foot tapping the floor – expecting Lea to keep her promise. He did this for a good minute before she let out a sigh. Lea knew Dual can be super persistent if he insist.

She zipped up her tiger striped jacket and stood up. She took her duffel bag before gesturing Dual to stretch out his hands.

He did. And she dumped her bag onto his outstretched hands with a forced smile.

"Thank you." That was all she said before she walked out from the classroom, with Dual at her heels, figuring out why he _is_ carrying her bag.

Lea could still remember the first time when Dual was extremely stubborn with her, looking at her by the corners – to the point people would mistaken him as a stalker with extreme obsession about her – leaving sticky notes at her desk about his favor and the list goes on.

She sighed inwardly. She met many strange people and Dual is unfortunately, one of them.

They kept on walking until they reached a place where a billboard was tagged with countless papers. Many students were crowding there as they examined the requests they wanted to take. There was more than one billboard which was further down. There was a C-rank request board, B-rank request board, A-rank request board and lastly, S-rank request board.

C-rank and B-rank boards were teeming with students. Leaving the duo with no choice, they went to A-rank request board.

"Gather 100 orange mushroom caps – nope. Bodyguard for a day – nope. Delivering 80 crates of herbal bottles…" Lea trailed off. Pulling out the a few requests, she found _interesting_ , she held out to Dual.

Dual scanned through them and shook his head. "Don't they have other _harder_ requests?"

"Don't push it." She warned him. Dual sighed.

"But-" protested Dual. Lea glared at Dual, cutting off his protest effectively. His shoulders slumped in defeat; he scratched his cheek thoughtfully with his free hand. Lea sat in front of the window and half-closed her eyes. She felt the warmth of the sun on her back but also felt she was watched by unwanted eyes.

She was aware she was being observed but she could not pinpoint his or her location as there were too many students in this hall. She shivered, she had a feeling she was being targeted.

Although she was tempted to find _it_ , her instinct told her otherwise.

"Done!" Dual shouted. Lea raised her head, and was greeted by a request paper. She took it gingerly and made an eye-contact with Dual. His eyes told her everything.

Lea chuckled. "Shall we?"

Dual tossed Lea her bag in response.

...

* * *

...

It was almost nightfall by the time they finished their request. Lea took a sip from her bitter, black coffee while Dual was still waving goodbye at their requester. It was hard to tell time with the underground Sleepywood. Its yellow lights brightened up the town but it was still depressing in its own way.

 _And also perfect for ambush_. Lea added in her mind.

She tapped her dagger hung by her left side, deep in thought. She watched the only entrance to Sleepywood lazily; shifting her eyes back and forth, to the bushes then the trees, anything that flickers in her eyes except for the bright, yellow lights. The citizens have gone back to their homes.

Then, a few people came in. Judging from their clothes – they were adventurers or nobles, especially the one with a fancy hat. Snowy wielded a polearm, fancy hat a…cane? Lea took another sip and her eyes travelled to the silver haired person, eyeing on his strange weapon. It doesn't look like _anything_ as the magic staffs that mages used.

"Hmmm…" Lea set her coffee down, her eyebrows furrowed.

Suddenly, Lea sensed a killing intent coming to her right. In one millisecond, she did a back flip and landed on her feet. The table where she was sitting was charred black like charcoal. She unsheathed her dagger, her senses heightened.

At the corner of her eye, she could see Dual's jaw dropped to the ground. Almost immediately, he took his weapons out, his eyes darting around – searching for their enemies. Then, he brought his dagger up and deflected a needle.

 _A needle?_

Lea moved her face to the right, trying to avoid a small, fast needle. It scratched her cheek, leaving a bloody red line.

She glanced back at the entrance and the three strangers were gone. The next thing she knew, one of them was protecting her back, spinning his weapon to deflect any incoming trajectories.

"Would they be so nice to come out?" The person said jokingly. For some reason, the stranger found this situation funny. Lea's eyebrow twitched.

"Whoever they are, it can't be good." Lea pointed out. Lea swatted the needles with both her free hand and dagger. Fortunately, both of her hands were gloved, unfortunately, her right forearm was bare. At least she doesn't have to worry about her back.

"True, but they are your _friends_ , right?" The stranger asked dryly. Lea chuckled, noticing her gloves looked like a miniature hedgehog with its numerous silver, thin needles. It was a miracle they haven't aim for her right forearm. One would dismiss it as luck but to Lea, it was a vital clue.

"Who knows?" Lea answered vaguely before throwing her dagger towards her left, into the darkness. A cry of pain echoed throughout Sleepywood. The needles attack stopped and Lea grinned without her realization.

 _Perfect._

"Dual!"

"Got it!" Dual sprinted towards the cry. Before he could, he was knocked down by a black-robed person. Lea popped her middle finger, her eyes narrowed. The enemy was huge, twice bigger than Dual although Dual was pretty average himself. The enemy raised his foot.

Before Dual was stomp, a flash of silver saved him.

"Nice Luminous!" The stranger behind her cheered.

Confused, the black-robed figure set his sights on Lea and her new ally. The shadow of its hood hid his face but a tuff of long brown hair was loose and his eyes gleamed red. Lea wiggled her fingers with ecstasy from the challenge. She discarded the hedgehog gloves and licked her lips at her newfound prey.

Before she knew it, she sprinted towards the enemy, her fist coming down towards his head. Her knuckles made contact with metal instead of flesh as it made a scrunched sound.

Lea managed a _huh_ before she jumped backwards, as it tried to grab her leg.

It was slow and pathetic. The metal creaked and groaned. Lea clicked her tongue in annoyance.

" _Bo_ -ring." She rubbed her bruised knuckles. "3 out of 10 for effort though."

 _They are coming_. The wind whispered in her ears. _They are coming._

Lea somersaulted in the air just in time for another enemy to slam against the trash and they both went down together. She tutted. She was well aware there were more enemies in the vicinity, their reinforcements since the bushes and trees rustled.

"0 for stealth." Lea added. _Five – six – ten – twenty – no, less than that._ She noted silently.

Dual has been missing for a while now, so was that fancy hat and silver dude. She sneaked a glance at the polearm wielder, his mohawk hairstyle stood out. Lea clapped her hands twice in approval. Without a doubt, Dual and _his_ other friends took out the coming reinforcements.

Without warning, her head pounded. Lea grimaced at the pain but she couldn't afford to be distracted now.

Her vision which was sharp moments before, became blur. She found herself unsteady and she fell onto the ground. She tried to move her hands but they refused to listen to her.

 _Eh?_

"Good evening, Miss Lea."

...

* * *

 **A/N: Tempted to keep each chapter short for faster update and a better flow of story. I don't know how much I have improved since my previous attempt, I hope you can judge for me and tell me your opinions via reviews.  
**


	2. Chapter 2 Inner Demon

**A/N: Second chapter for today. Yay! Review if you have any comments or suggestions or spot any mistakes during the writing.**

 **Sandwichess: That's one way to describe it. Thank you. You put my heart at ease, knowing that I have improved leaps and bounds. I have to thank NekomimiTree too for giving me tips in writing.  
**

* * *

 **Chapter cover:** Dual had his hands in his pockets and his back against the wall, glancing at the active streets of Kerning City.

* * *

...

Lea's right eye flared up in pain. She felt herself being carried up by the collar, and then thrown aside where she had no choice but to meet dirt, face-first.

"Ooof."

"Oops." The cheery voice continued. "I shouldn't have done that to my lovely _niece_ of mine."

 _Niece?_ The stranger thought with a frown on his face.

"Who are you?" The stranger said with an edge to his voice. Lea was paralyzed, he was all alone. His employers won't be able to help him in this battle for they too, are busy on their side.

The person twisted his neck to look at the questioner. He tugged his black leather jacket closer to him and smiled. His coffee brown hair swayed with the wind, his aqua eyes almost as piercing as the glaive wielder.

"Nobody. But I know who _you_ are."

The way the opponent said it sent shivers down to Lea's ally spine. He tightened his grip on his weapon. He almost missed it.

The glaive wielder was forced backwards as they clashed each other with their weapons. The enemy wielded a rapier, the worst matchup that could ever happen to any polearm wielders. What's more amazing is the rapier was enforced with mana from his opponent, overcoming the weakness of the rapier – the blade itself.

"Koli Ayers." The rapier wielder quoted. The metal inside the heels of the combat boots clang noisily as they hit the earth. "Fourteen – what a coincidence, the same age as my niece?"

Koli gritted his teeth. He could only defend himself against the rapid speed attack of the rapier user. The rapier user whistled merrily to himself. Koli was pissed off to the point he wanted to punch the rapier wielder's merry face.

"Occupation: Mercenary. Wow, that's a very tough job," The rapier user leaned forward as their weapons grind against each other. "Would you like to work for us? We can pay a great price for your service."

Koli managed a cheery smile, on par with the rapier wielder. "How about…No!" Koli cheated by sweeping the legs of the rapier user. Unfortunately, his opponent foresaw it as he jumped backwards.

"Kids these days have no manners." His opponent spread his arms. "It's a great deal – you work for us, we pay you."

"Unfortunately, I am not done with my current _employer_." Koli's tone was laced with sarcasm.

The rapier user shook his head. "A pity indeed." Without another word, his enemy approached Lea, who was still face-dirt. Koli's eyes widened – he had forgotten about the _broker_. The reason why _they_ were even _here_ in the first place was to talk with the information broker.

Koli dashed towards Lea, ignoring any potential danger that may come to him.

"Not a f-" Koli was interrupted by another order.

"MOVE!"

A flash of light passed Koli and it reappeared next to Lea. His employer's friend was panting and there was a few scratches on his white mage clothing but his weapon was steady. The rapier user was unfazed, even with a weapon pointed towards him.

"Oh, that's why my henchmen haven't take Lea away yet. Ah, two against one – no," he corrected himself once he spotted another. "three against one."

"Make it four." Another voice said. Koli turned around and looked up until he spotted the red-eyed sitting on the roof, spinning his dagger on his right and another bloodied dagger, on his other hand. Koli saw rage and protectiveness in his eyes.

For the first time, the rapier user's face turned grim at the prospect of fighting them all. The rapier wielder pointed at the employer's friend.

"Luminous." Then at the tree branches where Koli's employer sat, observing. "Phantom."

"Oh-ho." Phantom exclaimed, swinging his legs. "He recognizes us, eh, Lumi."

Luminous growled at that nickname. "Don't. Call. Me. That."

Phantom pretended he was hurt. "We're friends!"

"A very, very annoying one." Luminous retorted, his eyes still on the rapier user. He locked eyes with the rapier user and was surprised.

The rapier user wasn't concern he wouldn't match them all.

"Do you know who that child is?"

Neither of them answered the question. The enemy laughed.

"Foolish, how foolish. You don't even know her worth to _The Black Mage_?"

Luminous's and Phantom's eyes hardened the moment the enemy mentioned their nemesis.

 _Beep beep beep!_

Their enemy smiled at them, shutting the alarm of his wristwatch. "It's my cue. Goodbye."

"Hold it." Luminous said, trying to grab him but the man had escaped by teleporting. Luminous looked up at Phantom only to find him shaking his head. They could track him down but they have exerted too much mental and physical strength. Chances of them failing to track him is above 50% if include the possibility of being counterattack.

At least they have the information broker. One of the best in the world – or so Phantom claimed.

Koli frowned at the thought. He glanced at the information broker and cupped his chin before voicing out his question: "Who is carrying her?"

As expected, Phantom volunteered for it. That _casanova_. Koli added darkly in his heart.

...

* * *

...

After thirty minutes, Lea found she could finally move her mouth to speak. She was conscious the whole time. Face-dirt during the entire battle – that was embarrassing.

Unfortunately, the bloody paralyzing poison was too strong. Hell, it was worst than her older brother's tea. A tea so bad that it sent her taste buds to hell – it was complete garbage. To make it worse, the shitty tea was spiked with one of his so-called inventions of potions, a paralyzing potion – amplifying the garbage taste.

One good thing she gained from _that_ accident was she developed a better immunity to paralyzing potions – a special trait she inherited from her mother.

Lea was forced to look ahead and smell the sweat and dirt from fancy hat. She would've been grateful to them if it weren't for fancy hat doing a one-sided conversation with her and carrying her bridal-style. Her right eye and head ached. She should get a hot drink, maybe a latte this round.

Dual glanced backwards and Lea managed to plead with her eyes. He just shrugged and turned away. Lea noticed his smirk though and began plotting for revenge.

Fancy hat's one-sided conversation grated her nerves. Their other company went first to clear their path and Lea couldn't blame him. Fancy hat _is_ a horrible chatterbox.

"Shut. Up." Lea muttered. "It's annoying."

"Oh, finally. The poison wore off. I suppose I can dump you unceremoniously-"

"You wouldn't dare." Lea answered coldly. She knew it was a brave attempt, but fancy hat's amethyst eyes gleamed mischievously, as if telling her _he_ knows.

"Phantom," Snowy began. "even if you are my _current_ -" Snowy's face turned sour.

 _Fancy hat is Snowy's?_

As if to answer her question, he continued albeit reluctantly. "employer…I would appreciate it if you don't anger…" He looked at Lea questioningly over Phantom's shoulder which was easy since he was taller.

"Lea." Lea coughed.

"Lea. She's our best bet in getting rid of my curse and finding your lost friends."

" _Relax_ Koli. I know what I'm doing." Fancy hat reassured Koli, the snowy. "Besides, it's not my fault you got cursed and have one of our friend's appearances. Snow white hair, dark tanned skin – why not? At least I can tease _him_ later. Girls fawned all over you, which mean they fawn over _him_."

Surprisingly, Koli blushed. Lea would've raised an eyebrow at his reaction – damn the poison. Can't she negate it quicker?!

"What a chatterbox." Lea remarked. Dual snickered.

Fancy hat took it coolly though which irked Lea. By the time they were outside, the stars were out. Lea breathed in the fresh air. It felt good to be back on the surface.

"Can you take me to a safe zone? I need to concentrate to fight against the damn poison." Lea requested. Dual exchanged a glance with fancy hat and Koli before nodding at them.

Koli and his employer exchanged a confused look, and then Koli scratched the back of his head.

"I don't think we have much choice." Koli muttered under his breath, but Lea's enhanced hearing caught them.

Since they can't climb with Lea's feet and hands still numb, silver-haired dude erected a quick barrier around them. Lea didn't notice it before, the silver-haired dude has some light bluish at the end of his hair.

Unlike what fancy hat had threatened, he set her down properly on the ground, her back against the World Tree.

Lea took a deep breath and tried to close her eyes but failed miserably. She was too tensed, she can't meditate at all.

' _Need my help?'_ asked the beast inside Lea.

' _No. Just…try not to make things worse, 'Kay?'_ Lea replied.

She repeated her breathing, trying to calm herself and when she felt calm, she closed her eyes. She concentrated the blood inside her, one holy another dark. In terms of elements, holy and dark rejects each other so she must choose one to negate the poison.

She ignored the expected stares from the quartet.

She visualized a corridor. On her right, a yellow door. On her left, a black door.

Further down the corridor was a serpent-like creature. It darted its fork tongue into the air. Before it, Lea felt a twinge of worry. What if her actions hurt the majestic creature? Its horns were broken, some of it scales had not healed, and there were countless scars all over its body – all of them from its great battle three centuries ago. Its crimson eyes watched her and felt her worries as they shared the same soul. It may be temporary but, they rely on each other.

She hurt it more than it hurt itself.

And that ate her from inside.

The creature then reduced its size to the point where she could carry it with her hands. It flew towards her outstretched hands. It may not have wings but it could glide with the air.

 _He will be fine. He will be fine._ Lea chanted those words to herself. The beast grinned, showing its canines to her.

She walked forward, with the ancient beast on her shoulder. It nudged her reassuringly as she faced the yellow door – the colour of holy element.

 _The_ purer _essence of light._ Lea added silently.

 _ **Why not me? I am better, stronger, unlike you. I can fight against the poison coursing through your body.**_ Her other self whispered in her ear.

The beast growled at the Lea's other self. _'So you have come…you will never pass up the chance to take control of this body won't you? Demon.'_

Lea was about to open the door, but hesitated. Her inner demon _is_ right. _I am weak, pathetic, worst among humans, why should I fight?_

 _ **You can ask yourself that? Why should you fight? Isn't it because you struggle? Aren't you supposed to be my rider? I am your horse; I am guided by your handle of reins. Isn't this the ultimate proof you are stronger?**_ The demon said mockingly and rattled its bounded hands.

' _Are you trying to encourage me?'_ Lea asked the demon, still facing the door; her grip on the knob was loosened.

 _ **I am you and you are me. We cannot exist without the other. Obviously, I want to control**_ **you,** _ **but your mental strength never ceased to amuse me for the last few millennia. It would be a pity to end this game.**_

' _What do you mean?'_

Her inner demon laughed. It was enough to snap Lea out of her indecision. She twisted the doorknob open and jumped inside. But she wasn't fast enough to block out her demon's words: _**A twisted sense of duty of course.**_

...

* * *

...

In reality, Lea's forehead was beaded with sweat. Her complexion was paler than usual.

No matter what, Dual knew this was a struggle between her humanity and inner demon. Nobody can interfere with the battle. He knew it because…everybody has one. Lea was no exception. They were all _sinners_ , the boundaries between the right and the wrong was paper thin, but nonetheless a boundary they must make.

Dual failed to understand Lea's inner demon isn't just a part of her, _it_ was her. Another darker, side of her persona.

Then, Lea's veins glowed slightly yellow. A gasp escaped from the trio.

"What the-" The one called Luminous spluttered out his words. He was shocked – who wouldn't be if they saw Lea like _this_?

The one with noble clothes – Phantom – Dual recalled – merely look grim as if he saw this before. He mumbled something Dual couldn't catch. Koli nodded his head encouraging Lea. Dual shook his head, it was useless, Lea is in another world at this point.

When Dual first saw it, he remembered being as shocked as Luminous was. Make no mistake; Lea is worthy bearing the name of the clan of stars.

They watched the strange spectacle. One by one, the glow became dim and then fades back to its normal colour.

"I am glad I made us invisible." Luminous said after a long silence.

"You made us what?!" Dual yelped. "How?"

"Refracting the light of course." Phantom answered for Luminous and looked at Dual as if he was an idiot. Dual felt his cheek flushed with embarrassment. It explained why not many people were staring at them.

A groan escaped Lea's lips. Dual immediately crouched down to her level. Her eyes slowly opened. Her eyes' colour reminded Dual of an obsidian stone he once saw. It was glazed at first then it focused on Dual.

"What's 1+1?" Dual asked slowly.

"2." Lea answered it perfectly. A smile managed to worm its way through his face.

"Sleep." Lea closed her eyes.

 _Huh?_

Dual shook her shoulders. "Hey, hey, hey, don't sleep now!"

But her slow breathing told Dual she was really asleep.

He sighed inwardly. _As usual_.

Dual turned around to face _them_ with a poker face. "She's asleep."

A unison of _what_ and a facepalm was given – Koli, the only person who facepalm among the trio.


	3. Chapter 3 Employer

**Chapter cover:** Koli Ayers sleeping on his bed in his messy room of his home.

* * *

...

The silence inside the bar was awkward. They were the only ones there. The bartender kept giving misgiving looks at them as they were just there, sitting down, not ordering any drinks nor food. He always opened his mouth, but then closed it shut once he caught Dual's piercing glare. Shaking his head, the bartender went back to clean the glass with a cloth, although it was clean a long time ago.

Despite the dim lighting, Dual can see clearly. The marble floor was dirty, the bottles of wine behind the bartender looked expensive, some of them dated back as far as 60 years. The music was trance music – an electronic. Fortunately, the volume was low. The dance floor was empty; its steps were changing from blue to green, then red before it went back to white.

Again, Dual caught the bartender's misgiving look with the reflection of a mirror in the corner. The bartender frowned at the duo. Finally, Dual decided to order a drink before the bartender could chase them out.

Without another word, the bartender walked towards them with a pen and a notepad in hand.

"Plain water please." Dual said. Catching Koli's tired eyes, Dual smiled before adding, "and some grapefruit juice."

The bartender wrote them down. "Is that all?"

"Yes." Dual said it firmly. With their orders taken, the bartender nodded with satisfaction and prepared their drinks, but left the pen on their table.

Feeling restless, Dual spun the pen with his fingers quickly to the point Koli could only see the blurs.

"So…" Dual began, trying to break the ice. "why are you a mercenary?"

The snow-white haired warrior blinked. "It's the best way to earn mesos for me. Especially with my skills."

"Oh. Since when did you start this line of work?" Dual tilted his head to the right. Koli cupped his chin, considering Dual's question.

"I am not sure…" Koli's eyes became glaze. "Maybe around eight, perhaps nine."

"Wow, that's…young."

Koli smiled sadly. "It is."

"That would be 460 mesos in total." The bartender interrupted them. He placed a glass of plain water at Dual's side while the grapefruit juice at Koli's. Dual dug out his wallet before pulling out a 500 meso note.

"Keep the change." The bartender blinked before smiling gratefully and bowed respectfully at Dual and left them.

"You are a kind person, aren't you?" Koli said, taking a sip of his grapefruit juice.

Dual chuckled. " _Maybe_. I don't know."

Koli's eyebrows were furrowed. " _You don't know?_ "

Dual looked at Koli seriously. "I think I am twisted."

Koli raised his already thinned eyebrows. "We all _are_."

"It takes another hero to understand another…huh…" Dual muttered mostly to himself. Koli shrugged.

"Can we trust your employer?"

Immediately, Koli's expression darkened. "That depends on the _situation_."

The tone Koli used, made Dual consciously stopped himself from withdrawing his dagger. His tone was dark and murderous – a bad signal to Dual's fighting instinct. Dual took a deep breath.

 _He's not an enemy_. Dual reminded himself.

"Such as?"

Koli's shoulders stiffen. His face looked as if he had tasted something extremely sour – definitely not _the_ drink. He set down his empty cup and covered his eyes with his hand.

"He's a flirter. He seduces women – left, right and centre." Koli sulked. "Half the time, I think he did it to tease me because the next moment, they were chasing after me." He added as an afterthought. "After he disappears…"

Dual laughed and was silenced with Koli's murderous look. The blue eyes looked more like ice than the azure sky itself. Dual gulped; perhaps he had pushed a button.

"I guess we better get moving?" Dual grabbed his sweater while Koli clasped his necklace.

"You okay?" Dual asked once they were outside. Koli nodded at his question but, he was still sulking.

Koli mumbled under his breath – if Dual has to guess – unflattering things about his employer, Phantom.

...

* * *

...

Phantom had locked himself in the room after requesting his maids and butler not to bother him. He stared down at the papers, after requesting the Intelligence Deck to dig out any information about Lea. It was long and tedious but they finally did it – as expected.

By the time they finished, they had collapsed in their seats and snored. Phantom had switched off the lights before covering their sleeping backs with spare blankets.

Still lost in thoughts, Phantom shifted through the papers, pulling the lamplight closer to the reading materials.

From Koli's report, apparently Lea is the same age as Koli, fourteen. However, the Intelligence Deck has her age at 16 – which is false, especially after what the rapier user said…

 _Fourteen – what a coincidence, the same age as my niece?_ The rapier's user voice echoed the back of Phantom's mind.

Phantom was grim. There was another pair with the same age and Koli and Lea just reminded him of _them_. If he was right, _they_ should be 16 by now. Neither less nor more than that and yet…they didn't age at _all_ – even after thawing out of the humongous ice.

Could this be the side effect of the curse?

Phantom gritted his teeth in frustration. How he wished Freud is here right now. Too bad – Phantom sighed – his successor is still a _child_ , and Phantom, the great thief, is forced to tutor him.

He leaned back and stared at the polished, wooden wall. Perhaps Lea will tell him what he needed to know.

Until then, he has to wait until Lea woke up. Phantom grinned – Lea won't be able to escape with his sweet airship 10,000 feet in the air. He let out a long yawn – well, he was tired. He glanced down at the papers and then at his beloved bed.

 _I need my beauty sleep. Work can wait._

Phantom gathered up the papers and clipped them together and switched off the lamplight. Then, he dragged his feet to the bed, not bothering to change out of his dirty clothes and kicked off his shoes before climbing onto his bed.

He closed his eyes and sleep grabbed him immediately.

For once in weeks, his sleep was dreamless.

XXX

"Master Phantom." A familiar voice said. "Evan is waiting."

Phantom opened an eye and gave his butler a curt nod. "I will be there in a few minutes. Tell him to wait in the dining room; he should have breakfast – more than he usually eats."

"What should we do about the _other_ guest?" His butler asked. Phantom pondered about the problem before shrugging.

"Is she awake?" The butler shook his head. He adjusted his monocle as it had slipped off his eye.

"Marguerite is tending her injuries as she saw fit."

Phantom raised an eyebrow at that. _Injuries?_

"What _kind_ of injuries?" When the butler didn't answer, Phantom has to plead. "Gaston, please."

Gaston looked worried then look up at the ceiling, avoiding his master's gaze. "Nothing like we ever saw before. There were traces of internal bleeding, her blood _is_ clotting but soon after that, the closed wounds would open again." Then he made eye contact with Phantom. "It's puzzling."

"Puzzling indeed…" Phantom agreed. "How bad is it?"

"Only her left arm is affected – sir."

" _Left arm?_ " Phantom was on his feet immediately. _Is it a coincidence? Or fate?_

Whatever the case, Phantom must see the damage himself.

"Sir?"

"Lead the way," Phantom said grimly, his amethyst eyes were dull. He knew that once he caught a reflection of himself. Too many worries, too many problems – too little time.

He bit the inside of his cheeks. Gaston finally stopped at one of the empty rooms. It was clean as the maids he has hired did their duty diligently. He can proudly boast about his maids – they deserve their pays.

Gaston then turned to face his master. "Prepare yourself." He warned before turning back and knocked the door twice.

"Come in." Marguerite's faint voice answered. Gaston stepped aside, allowing Phantom to slide the door open and step inside. The first thing that hit Phantom was the room was dark. His fingers began searching for the light switch.

"Didn't you on any lights Marguerite?"

Marguerite yelped. "Phantom, why-"

"Marguerite," Phantom was exasperated, one of the main reasons was Lea. Another – the twins, then Evan, the current Dragon Master.

 _Click_. The light was switched on.

Phantom suddenly wished he had taken Gaston's warning seriously. Lea's left arm was pitch black, buckets of perspiration soaked the entire bed sheet with a mix of black blood. The bed sheet was in a need for change.

His eyes then went to the orange-haired maid beside Lea. She was pale but, her jaw was set and her eyes showed flames of determination.

Her headband has one of Phantom's trademark feathers of his hat – proving she was one of Lumiere's workers. Like all maids, she wore a maid uniform. Other than a few wet spots on her dress, she was fine.

She twisted the wet cloth dry before replacing the already dried cloth on Lea's forehead, muttering words of encouragement. Her spirit was admirable.

Lea whimpered in her sleep, her face was contorted with pain. On the wooden table was countless medicinal herbs, some were half-empty, others opened but not used. There was a jar of water and a glass of empty cup, but they were untouched. Phantom was reminded once again, Marguerite is an excellent herbalist.

"How long?" Phantom said. Marguerite dabbed a healing salve at the injured left arm.

"Since you locked yourself." She replied without taking her eyes off her job. "I will handle this." continued Marguerite confidently. "So shoo."

"If you need help, don't hesitate." Phantom reminded her. Marguerite's head snapped up with a frown on her face. She thought he doubted her abilities.

"Oh, shush. You're not a mother hen now are you? Besides, who is the one _always_ tending your injuries? From minor cuts and bruises to broken bones?"

"You."

Marguerite closed the salve and grinned at Phantom.

"That's right; leave it to me, Marguerite – special class maid, herbalist."

Phantom felt one of his burdens being lifted. He gave her a grateful smile before leaving the nursing maid and her patient alone, with the lights on. All he could do is trust them.

...

* * *

...

Meanwhile, a certain tactician stared at a bloody picture. He clenched his free hand with frustration. This time, the picture showed a brick wall painted with the Roman numerals, XI, with the unfortunate victim's blood.

...

* * *

 **A/N: I put the triple dots before and after (except for A/N) line breaks for easier reading.**

 **Nekomi: Yay! My favourtie Beta Reader is here again. Your advices are noted. It's still hard to improve in a very short amount of time though.**


	4. Chapter 4 The Living and The Dead

**A/N: This is when the T-rating come to use. Sorry for those who felt sick or have a heart-wrenching moments after reading this chapter.  
**

* * *

 **Chapter cover:** Cyan flames intertwined a white-haired woman who has a gentle smile on her face while Lea looked forward; her eyes closed, her shirt has a picture of reversed Four of Clubs.

* * *

...

Lea stood alone in the pitch black world. She saw nothing, nothing but black.

 _Not again…_

A child's giggle reached her ears. Lea felt her heart being twisted. She remembered she used to laugh and smile so easily – until _that_ day. She clutched her shirt, feeling bitter at her fate.

 _Why?_ Lea asked herself, tears flowing down her cheeks. She trembled and hugged herself.

It was painful. The torture was painful. The checkered room, the old, wooden chair. The mask, the metallic stench of blood. The snip of the scissors. Fingers falling into the empty bucket.

She remembered her fingers, being cut – one by one – into the empty bucket. The struggle, to get the number of times her fingers cut from zero – _every time_. The sensation of her fingers regenerating. It was the only way she could retain her sanity that time.

Once the torturer was bored with physical torture, he went for her mind.

One day, he brought a mother and her child. She felt her eyes widened with shock. She stared at them, then at the torturer and knew; the torturer had lied. She was fucking naïve that time. The promise _meant_ nothing.

 _Hostages._

He asked her to choose, one will live – another will die. It was an impossible decision. No, there was a choice – Lea corrected herself – _I could have killed the torturer before he killed_ them _._

' _No. NO! Please…let them go. I beg you! Do anything you want with me, but not them!'_

Her cries and pleas fell on deaf ears.

 _ **Weak.**_ Lea's inner demon echoed in her head.

She remembered the mother mouthing at her; to choose her son. She shook her head so violently, biting her lips until they bleed. The torturer had his eyes bulged with insanity and he laughed at her agonizing indecision and screamed at her to choose for his patience had run thin.

The child was crying, Lea wanted to comfort the child, but she was forced to watch, and make a decision.

' _I choose-'_

' _Too late.'_ The torturer hissed. He pulled the mother's hair and rested the scissors at her throat. The mask the torturer wore showed his lips. He smiled sadistically at Lea before cutting the carotid artery away.

That was the first death Lea saw. She watched as the lifeless body fell onto the ground, her eyes were wide with fear before her death.

The mother's blood splattered onto her child. The child screamed, marked with his mother's blood, until Lea felt her eardrums were about to burst.

That was not the end. Despair seized Lea. Her breathing became even more ragged than earlier and she cried at her own helplessness and her naivety.

The child scampered towards Lea with the torturer on his heels. He was just an arm's length away when he was struck down. The torturer had thrown the weapon to the spine, not even a millimeter away from his target. The child fell down, but somehow managed to find the energy to crawl towards Lea.

The child she had bonded days before – again, he trusted her to keep her promise. She had protected him once, why not again?

Lea read his thoughts all from his body language. He touched her left foot and looked up, his eyes pleading for help. The shadow of the torturer loomed over them. Lea looked up with fearful eyes.

As if the child knew his time has come, he whispered one last time: _'Thank you, big sister.'_

It was faint but her enhanced senses picked it up. With a heavy heart, Lea watched the second death with blank eyes.

 _He had a future ahead of him. He could be anything if I saved him._

 _But I didn't save him._

The foothold underneath Lea began to crumble.

 _I am so sorry. So sorry. Please forgive me. Please, please forgive me._

She fell to her own despair and guilt, before screaming _I am_ _sorry_ again. Her voice can no longer reach the dead. The boundary between the living and the dead was set.


	5. Chapter 5 Imaginary Elements

**Chapter cover:** Luminous and Phantom arguing with each other while Freud facepalmed between them.

* * *

...

In Ellinia, a mage was walking towards his home. It was time, he was supposed to return a day ago but, a certain _fancypants_ stopped him. If it weren't for Phantom's tone of urgency, Luminous would have visited Lania – he missed his home.

It was still dark, there was no light to guide his way, but he knew the path to his home very well. The smell of the morning dew, the soft ground, the damp grass, the overlooking ancient trees – the only difference was the cold – it was almost as freezing as the icy town in El Nath.

Pulling the cloak closer to himself, he exhaled a white puff of smoke. It was cold in Ellinia – as it is winter now in Victoria Island. He rubbed his gloved hands together as he walked. He was shivering, but his quick pace warmed his whole body.

He knew he shouldn't worry about Lania's wellbeing as she _is_ protected by not just a cat, but also a robot he created months before with Vieren's help. Still…Luminous can't help it – especially not after the Black Mage possessed Lania just two months before the twins went missing.

His head pounded – not from the dark mana inside his body, but rather, his never-ending questions. First of all, why _that_ information broker bothered him so much? To top it all, she was almost as similar looking to one of the twins, except for their hair and eye colours. Her choice of weapon was also bugging Luminous – a dagger, instead of a polearm. Worst still, Luminous had a feeling the information broker is not what she seems.

His already grim face darkened at the thought. He accepted Koli's explanation – it sounded logical.

 _That girl on the other hand…_

What exactly is _her_ story? Why…what did their enemy said about her worth to their worst enemy?

Luminous bit his lip in frustration. "This is getting more and more complicated."

Finally, a cottage came to his sight. Unconsciously, Luminous's body relaxed. He never felt so relief right then and there. The chimney was smoking – a good sign, Lania is well and _around_. The robot guardian was by the stairs by the door, still beeping and kicking. When Luminous approached the cottage, the guardian looked at him, and then ignored Luminous once recognizing he was no threat to Lania.

With a smile on his face, Luminous stood in front of the door, preparing to knock only to find the wooden oak swung towards him. If it weren't for his good reflexes, he would be nursing a broken nose. He jumped back and almost tripped by the stairs – thanks to his poor footing. He grabbed the railings to support himself.

Amused, he looked at Lania's astonished face. "I'm back."

But his smile was wiped off _immediately_ once he heard a young man's voice calling, from inside the cottage: "Food's ready!"

…

* * *

…

"Things are always not what they seem, Evan." Phantom said, slapping his cane to the whiteboard with notes.

The boy named Evan was dazed with the overwhelming realization while Mir, an Onyx Dragon scratched its head as best as it could with its claws, only to fall backwards. Its black scales glinted under the soft light and the dragon itself radiated an aura of power. It nudged Evan with its tail, but Evan was still shocked.

Evan was still young, in fact – only 13 for his age. To think he was only 11 when he first had Mir. He was still naïve and innocent – not knowing of death of a person, like any other eleven years old children do but was more observant among them.

Unfortunately, Evan was not as smart as his predecessor – or else he wouldn't be easily tricked and manipulated by the Black Wings. Thanks to the Black Wings – Evan learned an important lesson, but also lost a bit of his childish innocence.

Phantom sighed, massaging his temple. _This isn't working_. If Phantom was alone, he would be worrying about the wrinkles on his forehead – and apply beauty treatment to his face A.S.A.P.

"Evan," Phantom called the Dragon Master. The brunette's shoulder snapped up with attention.

"Take it slowly. You don't have to force yourself to remember every element – just remember the four main elements – fire, water, earth and air."

"But mister…what about the other _imaginary_ elements?" Evan asked innocently, his powder blue eyes were sparked with interest. Phantom hid a smile behind his hand. It was a good sign to Phantom.

"Like you said, it is called _imaginary_ elements for obvious reasons." Phantom rolled his eyes to the heavens for pointing out the obvious. "It is based on your imagination – for example, _time_ is not categorized under the main elements, but an element on its own."

Evan widened his powder blue eyes, nodding his head in understanding. "How about necromancy?"

Phantom tightened his grip on his weapon at the sound of that _magic_. "That's under Life – unlike a Bishop's resurrection skill, it is more forceful and a darker type of Life magic. Instead of bringing the original bearer of the…dead body," Phantom took a deep breath. "Necromancy brings not just one soul, but countless soul and places them into another corpse – like skeletons for instance."

He took the nearest dummy and pointed where the heart should be.

"For example, I revive a _dead_ person whose body has _rotted_ a long time ago – then," Phantom used his cane and whacked an orange mushroom doll – a belonging of Marguerite, which he _borrowed_. "I placed the soul inside the doll. It's simple as that."

Evan let out a _huh_.

"Hilla's magic." He added darkly under his breath. Evan did an O with his mouth.

Mir's almighty stomach let out a growl. Phantom grinned at the dragon that covered its eyes with its midnight wings from embarrassment.

He pointed at Evan then tapped at the whiteboard. "Concentrate on the lessons, I will be back." Evan looked like he wanted to protest, then, he let out a long groan at the prospect of studying the so-called magecraft. Reluctantly, he did what Phantom asked. Evan stretched his body until his shirt showed his stomach.

Phantom made a mental note to himself: _Tailor more clothes for Evan's growing body_.

He pivoted his left heel to spin his body around and went out of the training room – specially made for physical exercise, but converted into a study _and_ an exercise room for Evan. He can't deny Empress Cygnus's request to train Evan or at least, enlightened him with the elements of magic. It was a miracle Evan and Mir used elemental magic without any _knowledge_ without rebounds.

Phantom subconsciously touched his old injury, at his right forearm. A training incident long ago, a reminder to him; never _try_ anything out of his boundaries – especially regarding taming _imaginary_ elements.

Before reaching the kitchen, he turned left into another corridor to find Gaston, his butler, on standby. Gaston was holding another file – most likely about Lea – and waving it at Phantom's face. With a sigh, Phantom snatched it away and opened the envelope and peeked inside.

Instead of the usual amount of papers, it was only one much to Phantom's surprise, which explained the paper-thin thickness. He decided to read it later.

"Colette hacked into the Black Wing's record system again." As if reading Phantom's mind, Gaston continued. "Evan's new clothes are almost done, our maids make sure it will last longer, and hopefully fits Evan's _growth spurt_."

Gaston flashed his master a rare smile. "Take things slowly, at your own pace master – we, the servants will back you up." Gaston gave Phantom a butler's salute – leaving Phantom slightly startled but nonetheless, grateful for their support.

His old master's advice echoed in his mind: _'People will always follow a leader with a good heart.'_

Phantom's smile did not reach his eyes, however. "So does the opposite lie true?" Phantom asked the question to the air. Obviously, the air did not answer.

...

* * *

 **A/N: Any questions? Review, and I will answer them as best as I could.  
**


	6. Chapter 6 Jake

**A/N: R &R. Questions? Review and I will answer them. I hope you enjoy the story and thank you for bearing with my horrible way of writing [still a "green" writer here] . **

**Just a friendly reminder: I will update if I can and due to my studies - it depends on my luck. Apologies in advance for making you (readers) wait.  
**

* * *

 **Chapter cover:** A young man facing to the right with a confident smirk.

* * *

...

Lania had never seen Luminous _this_ angry in her entire life. Luminous's expression darkened in moments that she had to step back – clasping her hands together, as if praying to the heavens. The aura he emitted right now was dark – as dark as _that_ day. She has no idea what happened – all she remembered Luminous screaming in pain, chains erupted from the ground and waves of red and black _mana_ struck everywhere from Luminous.

She turned the moment she heard the anguished screams from Luminous and was struck down by countless black and red _mana_ with chains. She remembered being thrown backwards, a few of her bones broken – and had found difficult to breathe – and her vision became black.

The next time Lania woke up, she found Luminous crying – and her body was aching in pain and her head bandaged. Those few weeks were just Luminous nursing her back to health and the glances he gave were mostly self-doubt and guilt. It twisted her heart, seeing her father like that.

She missed his bright smile and the soft laughter when she made him laugh. Then, once she was well, he left her alone with the cat without much explanation.

Lania could only accept his decision. The only contact with Luminous was the letters he wrote to her, telling her the adventures he have, and a little bit of his past and his apologies. Sometimes, the letters came together with brochures.

When he came to visit, he wrote in his letter – the date he will come _home_.

It was a day late – but her father was actually here, mad at someone, it doesn't take a genius to figure out _who_.

"Papa?" Lania whispered.

She watched as her father sighed. Most of the scary aura was gone, but it was still there – enough to intimidate Lania. He scratched the back of his head; his heterochromia eyes were weary – probably from lack of sleep.

"I'm home." Luminous finally said, looking away from Lania. She smiled and covered the distance between them quickly and pulled him inside _their_ home.

"Welcome home."

…

* * *

…

Inside the warm cottage, a young cook felt shivers every time Lania's father gave him a stink eye. Even though it was warm, he still has his winter coat on. His hands twisted his black pants from feeling nervous.

He observed Lania and her father interacted. The father patted Lania's head – it was watching a father dotting his own child.

The father had white-haired with the end, a bit bluish. He wore a brown cloak, a weak protection against the cold. The cook raised an eyebrow at the bluish hair, a voice nagging in his mind and his blood screaming at him: _Blessings from the stars!_

Then again, it could be just his imagination. After all, the father reeked of…something he could not put his finger to.

They weren't related by blood – but, he could tell they were close. He closed his eyes, lost in his own memories – wondering what and where had gone wrong in his family.

"Earth to Jake!" Lania shouted at the young cook. Jake opened his almond eyes. He stood up and looked at the father.

 _Wonderful, a mage. But why white?_ Jake thought when he saw Luminous's clothes. The details on Luminous's clothes were beautiful – to last this long, especially for adventures – the materials used to make the robe was high quality.

The young bishop managed to hide his surprise at the…heterochromia condition. There is something unnatural about Luminous's red eye.

Jake had a bad feeling about it.

"Jake, this is Luminous, my father." Lania introduced. Luminous gave him a nod; his body language gave nothing away much to Jake's annoyance. "Dad, Jake."

Jake stretched his hand towards Luminous with a forced smile. Luminous looked at it suspiciously only to be hit at the waist by Lania. Jake laughed and felt a pang of happiness at Luminous's struggle on a simple decision.

"Nice to meet 'ya". Jake said with a slight sarcasm in his voice. Luminous raised an eyebrow – damn, his sarcasm detector is high. On the other hand, Lania was mouthing at him: _Do something!_

 _Like what?_ Jake thought. _Maybe_ _a chicken dance perhaps?_

A serious part of Jake was knocking common sense into the joking Jake: _Are you insane?! This is her father! One wrong move and you will be dead in an instant!_

Fortunately, the father's stomach growled – interrupting the awkward silence. Smoothly, Jake waved his outstretched hand towards the table with food.

"Thanks." Luminous muttered as he walked past the young cook. Behind his back, Lania winked once at Jake.

 _This is going to be troublesome._

"You're welcome." He grinned, rubbing his hands with glee. Fortunately, the family did not notice it.

At first, Jake planned to be a goody-goody two shoes. That thought lasted until the last second.

Changing the label for soya sauce to oyster sauce (when their backs are turned) and watching Lania passing the soya sauce ( _read: oyster sauce_ ) to Luminous and then flooding the plate with it. Luminous thanked Jake for the food only to take his words back as he tasted the unholy taste of oyster sauce with his bacon.

Luminous's reaction was priceless. He looked as if he had tasted the greatness of rotten dishes and glared at Jake accusingly, veins throbbing on his forehead. Lania's jaw dropped, her eyes darting from Jake to Luminous then at the oyster sauce label in her hand, and then at the soya sauce label – the gears in her mind moving furiously. A series of expressions went passed Lania – shocked, amazed, worried, then a knowing grin plastered her lips.

"Jake!" Lania exclaimed, slamming her hand on the table, the cutleries shook in their respective places. "I can't believe you did it!"

Jake blinked his obsidian coloured eyes innocently. "Did _I_?"

Luminous cracked his knuckles.

In Jake's mind, he did a fist-pump into the air. _Worth it._

Once Jake left the house – after being kicked out by Luminous, _personally_ _–_ Jake made sure to never cross Luminous path again.

Except the Transcendents have better ideas for his future.


	7. Chapter 7 The Clan of Stars and OWL

**A/N: I have no idea what is the actual year of MapleStory since they never state officially. So I'm going with mine. Like X677 or something like that. X because it's a hassle to decide the first number. 2000 is out as there is a** _ **time**_ _ **machine**_ **(for quest) where you can travel to the specific era.**

 **I know it is just a game, but I want people who doesn't play MapleStory to understand this story although I feel I just failed somewhere along the way. Also, I try to follow the actual game as much as possible – with a few changes of course.**

 **If you see any mistakes, you can PM me or review the story. I am pretty sure there is a lot this round since there's lots of names.**

* * *

 **Chapter cover:** An Onyx dragon and its master flying in the skies overlooking Leafre. The Dragon Master was laughing to the winds.

* * *

...

 **Codename** : Owl

 **True Name** : Lea Stellar

 **Age** : 14

 **Notable** **features** : N/A

 **Occupation** : Information Broker, Mercenary [Former]

 **Affiliated** : Clan of Stars [Branch family], Silent Crusade [Possible]

 **Mana Quality** (MQL): A+ ~

 **Mana Quantity** (MQT): Unknown

 **Sightings** :

First sighting – Edelstein [X640] (age: 10 ~11)

Second sighting – Rien [X642] (age: 12 ~ 13)

 **Locations** : Victoria Island (Henesys) *****

 **Abilities** : -

Black Blood (dubbed by Gemiler) – first seen in X641 when trying to capture the target  
(Note: When using the ability, the target became mentally unstable – right eye black sclera with golden irises; possible elements such as "Holy" and "Dark" involved)

Imaginary Elements – _Suspected_ ; need more information

All four main elements affinity (+ Holy and Dark element)

 **Special notes** : -

No.1 in capturing list – for Gelimer's future experiments ***** [proceed with caution]  
Possible relations with Heroes (a.k.a Aran, Luminous, Mercedes and Phantom) – breaking the _ice seal_ casted from the Black Mage with almost no effort

 **NOTES:**

~ [indication may be higher – or lower]

* [may change in future]

...

During one of Evan's breaks, Phantom read the so-called ranking report of the Black Wings before putting the report aside with a mixture of awe and interest on his face. It was a surprise to him for Lea didn't make a huge impression on him.

In fact, she gave out an impression she was a sheep – with her calm demeanor and dull, gray eyes.

Who would have thought she was a wolf in sheep's clothing?

"Mister?" Evan said, snapping Phantom back to reality. Phantom raised his eyebrows, questioningly. Evan was fidgeting with his sweaty shirt, and twiddling his thumbs together. He looked undecided and wanted to ask or say something, but he kept opening, then closed his mouth only to repeat the process.

Luckily, Phantom was a patient man – in fact, he learned; patience is one of the keys to turn the tides of battle; a tip he learned from Freud. Although – Phantom chuckled at the memory – Freud always won against him in chess, forcing Phantom to flip the chessboard in defeat. It was a childish action, but he never received the reaction he expected from Freud – much to his chagrin.

If he had a wish that could be granted; he would have wished to see his friends again – Freud and Aria. Half the time – Phantom often questioned himself; what did he _do_ to receive their kindness?

Again, Evan opened his mouth with his eyes were downcast. Wisely, Phantom chose not to question Evan's actions.

Then, Evan unexpectedly dropped the bombshell by glancing at the report with round eyes.

It was recognition.

Phantom felt his curiosity piqued up. He leaned forward from his seat, his hands on his cane. He saw Evan reading the report by using the reflection of a mirror (conveniently placed slightly above Phantom's shoulder), tiptoeing.

Mir on the other hand, sensing its master's anxiety was also fidgeting and then snarled at Phantom – much to both the thief's and the Dragon Master's surprise. Mir's golden eyes were flared up along with the golden stripes on its body; and kept growling, showing its canines – a clear sign of hostility. But Phantom felt it wasn't directed towards him.

Evan had to calm Mir down by having a mental conversation. Mir shook its head at one point, pawing his claws at the ground. It was disturbed – but by who or what? And why?

Finally, Mir opened its mouth to speak, slamming its mighty tail on the training mat – shaking the entire ship, albeit temporary – to show its urgency. "There's a royal blood on board."

"WHAT?!" Evan exclaimed. His jaw dropped to the ground.

Phantom stood up, eying on Mir carefully. "How can you tell?"

Mir made an eye contact with him; confusion shown in its eyes. "A…a thought just came to me. I felt it calling – I have never felt this before. My blood boiled – my vision sometimes turned red and flashes of images came to my mind." It added in a low growl but, it was calmer. " _They_ do not belong to me."

Phantom considered its words carefully. Well, Mir is one of the last royal bloods of Onyx Dragons – _royals can sense another royalty_ – Freud's voice reminded Phantom. Wonderful.

Phantom let out a long sigh before stretching his back. "Evan – take a really, really _long_ break. You can eat your lunch first-"

"No." Evan interjected in a flat tone. "I will see Lea. She's my friend."

Phantom locked eyes with the young child. There was no doubt in his eyes. And in fact, this is the first time Evan spoke so…demanding?

Without Phantom's knowledge, a grin wormed through his face. Evan was growing – maturing, learning new things, not just magic but also learn what is important. Phantom has watched Evan growth – from a young child, with almost zero confidence to adolescence, gaining new knowledge every day, although his mind is still childish, the innocence is still there and Phantom wanted Evan to treasure it.

Phantom did not want to see another child's dream and hopes shattered – like the girl Aran, whose past better left forgotten.

 _Like she wished for_.

He remembered her grim face, and cold, silent eyes that spoke volumes about her emotions. She grew up in an unhealthy environment where the strong rule over the weak – except it was a thousand times worse than Ariant.

She _was_ one of the Black Mage's commanders.

 _No,_ Phantom corrected himself. _An apprentice of theirs._

His stomach churned at the uncomfortable thought.

To the point she phrased her bad experiences in a sentence with a humorless chuckle: _'My parents told me dreams can come true, but they forgot nightmares are dreams too.'_

Even resting, she would close her eyes, and dreamed about her own world with a bitter smile on her face. That smile wasn't suitable for her – the Heroes agreed silently, so did her so-called twin.

A simple bad experience can wipe thousands of good memories.

Sadly, the world never leaves one white rose untainted.

Phantom knew one day, Evan would grow out of his childishness and looked at the grey world.

After a long silence, Phantom left the room without saying anything. He could hear Evan's footsteps, which was loud compared to the thief's silent grace. As he led Evan to Lea's room, he prayed silently in his heart, his eyes, half-lidded.

 _May the world Aria dreamed of come true._

…

* * *

…

 **Location: Unknown  
Date: 6/9/ X643 [Two days before The Black Wings assault on Lea]**

Somewhere in Ossyria, Elders from the main branch have gathered for a meeting. There were 9 Elders in the clan of stars; all of them hold equal power over the family. They dare not go west of Ossyria for a reason – multiple mirrors leading to another dimension have popped up like mushrooms after a rain. The cause was a commander of the Maple World's greatest enemy.

Away from prying eyes, they made their way to one of their hideouts – an underground bar, which was closed for that specific day.

In the underground bar, the head of the clan of stars walked with his walking cane. His boots were muddy from stepping on mud by accident; dirtying the wooden planks of the underground bar. He was old, but experienced and the Elders needed his presence to begin the meeting. The crinkles from the corner of his coffee brown eyes indicated he smiled a lot, but right now, he was not smiling.

He was almost bald, saved for a few strings of white hair on his back, combed back neatly. It did not make look him handsomer or uglier, but his head was held high; although he was hunchbacked.

The hanging bright lights, led him towards a door with the roman numerals XVIII hanging at the door. The owner who was standing beside the door indicated he was at the right place. The old man flashed the owner a smile, muttering thanks as the owner pulled the medieval door opened; its hinges creaked in protest.

As the old man expected, 5 out of 9 Elders have arrived. The other 4 Elders have not arrived.

He lobbed inside, and took a good look at the room. He did not notice the owner of the bar had bowed to him before closing the door. The five Elders stood behind their seats; their right hands on their chest as a sign of respect.

To describe the Elders' clothes in one word was: _Contradiction_. Their clothes were white – like the blinding light. The only thing that ruined the image was a black cloth, draped over their shoulder; bearing the stigma of the clan of stars. Some wore gloves, others barehanded.

The walls in room XVIII were plain - only a few posters decorating it. There was no clock to tell him the time, except for the melting candle at the corner of the room.

"Shall we wait for others?" One of the Elders asked politely. The head of the clan looked at the speaker.

It was the third Elder. The third Elder was still young – only in her 30's and one of his granddaughters – the brightest among them. She inherited dirty blonde hair from her mother and cocoa brown eyes from her father, among the Elders present; she has the palest skin among them; as if she had never gone under the sun before.

"Darling Ceily, as long as a majority of the Elders are present, along with the head – the meeting will begin now." The old man answered slowly, but his voice has a commanding tone.

"We understand." The Elders said before taking their seats. The head of the clan of stars, however, remained standing.

With a nod from the old man, the meeting started.

XXX

Like every other meeting, it began with reports and later discussing about pressing matters such as low on supplies – especially materials for pretty much everything. Halfway during the meeting, the remaining Elders arrived and were greeted with warm hugs from the head of the clan and disdained looks from others.

Some began to lecture them about timing and it would have escalated into an all out brawl if it weren't for the head's intimidating aura and the fact that the head alone was stronger than _all_ of them combined despite being old.

"Desmond, Evelyn and Hiven, sit." The way the head phrased his command earned snickers from the Elders at the table for the later ones were treated like they were still children. It wasn't far from the truth as they were still young at heart.

The late Elders gulped down their fear towards him and did what they were told, and removed their plain travelling cloak and hung it on their chairs.

The old man waved his left hand to continue. Most of the Elders have mentally prepared themselves for what could be the worst problem...in their family – the head noticed from his observation.

"There is a high possibility Lea Stellar has made contact with the Heroes in the past." Ceily said, pushing up her glasses. There were some who shouted in outrage as their response – only to earned Ceily's cold glare.

Hiven with his hazel eyes close; slammed his bandaged hand onto the round table. "That _bitch_. She is nothing but _trouble_." His shoulder-length hairstyle swayed as he made the aggressive move.

"Trouble indeed – I prefer if we _dispose_ her." Elder Evelyn's tone told the head of the clan a different message. Elder's Evelyn's expression darkened – scaring Elder Hiven out of his wits.

 _Keep her safe._

"She is still useful to us." All eyes went to Elder Jaune. On his head, there was a beginning of a balding patch – from stress – the head mused.

"Agree?" said Elder Jaune. It sounded like a question, but it was more of a challenge. Nobody said anything.

"I said; DO WE AGREE?" Elder Jaune spoke louder. There were reluctant 'ayes' among the Elders. Hiven's the smallest among the 'ayes'.

The head couldn't blame them. Elder Jaune is a friendly person outside the meeting, but when it comes to his duties – he takes both logic and emotions when making decisions.

It was one of the reasons why Jaune became the 'Elder'.

The fifty-two year old Elder leaned back in his seat with a satisfied smirk on his face.

"Oi Hermit. Can you keep post _anyone_ to keep an eye on our _fox_?" Elder Jaune addressed the head rather rudely but his smile was playful. "It would be nice if you _actually_ sit." He added as an afterthought.

The old man took Elder Jaune's suggestion; his legs were aching from standing for more than an hour. "Of all the nicknames, why _Hermit_?"

Elder Jaune snorted and rolled his eyes to the heavens. "109th Head of Stellar family, Giles-"

"I understand." Head Giles cut off before they went off track. "You among all people should know I hate going through _honorifics_." He curled his lips in distaste.

"You ask for it." Elder Jaune replied innocently. Head Giles shook his head in dismay.

"As for Lea…" Head Giles look at the each Elder in the eye evenly only pausing at Hiven's to tut. "The young lady prefers to be _alone_. Assigning anyone with her is useless."

Elder Jaune scratched head while Elder Ceily nodded in agreement.

"How about Jake?" Elder Evelyn suggested, twisting a loose lock of purple hair with her fingers. "He's her older brother, isn't he?"

Head Giles considered her suggestion, but then, Elder Jaune let out a long groan which was improper for his age.

"Their mindsets are completely _different_." Elder Jaune explained, his arms tucked by his side. He paused for a moment; his silver eyes looked a bit distant.

"Jake _sees_ the _bright_ world and knows nothing about the darkness – Lea sees the _grey_ world _and_ loves it at the same time, hates it – the youngest, he knows _nothing_ about the _beauty_ of the world and yet, looks at it with a calm mind. They respect each other and work together pretty well," He shrugged nonchalantly. "Even so, they are entitled to make their own decisions."

 _That's a bizarre combination._ Head Giles thought.

"Even _Crow_?!" Elder Ceily exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock. "This is _ridiculous_. You have spoiled them too much."

"Spoiled them?" Elder Jaune asked in his soft, but dangerous tone. His half-lidded eyes gave him a wicked look. "Jake is 17, Lea is almost 16 in two years time and Crow will be 13 in three months.

"Lea is unstable – you know that." Elder Ceily snapped back.

Both Head Giles and the interested Elders darted their eyes back and forth between young Elder Ceily and old uncle Elder Jaune.

"I can't deny that." Elder Jaune said in defeat. Elder Ceily smiled at her victory, but it was too soon.

Elder Jaune continued with a twinkle in his eye, cracking his little finger on the table. "Lea Stellar is _a_ growing teenager after all. Besides, she grew up in a world where madness resides. She accepted it very easily. Heck, she even accepted the fact the world is not filled with sunshine and rainbows at a young age."

He clenched his fist. "It's partly my negligence that she was captured and…" He trailed off, looking down at the table.

The room's atmosphere became gloomy – Giles had forgotten his old friend is the one who kept his spirits up during the bad times. Even now, Jaune has an impact on the Stellar family with his cheeriness.

"It's not your fault." Elder Ceily consoled.

"That's a lousy excuse – we all know that!" He snapped back. "She could have a happy childhood! I know I can't change what happened in the past, I can only atone for my sins by giving her all my support."

"That cross you are carrying is just your imagination." Elder Ceily replied rather gently – as if Jaune was a small child. Jaune looked incredulous.

He suddenly stood up, and slammed a fist on the table. The impact was clear as there were cracks on the wooden table where he had hit. Elder Ceily leaned back in her seat calmly, but her biting lips betrayed her composure.

"Is it _her_ imagination her biological parents left her brothers and her alone? Is it her imagination she was tortured? Is it her imagination – to that she was targeted by the _Black Wings_?" His voice was rising to a scream with each word. "MY BROTHER AND HIS WIFE DIED BECAUSE OF THE UPRISING! THEY FOUGHT FOR OUR SAKES – THEY FOUGHT FOR THEIR FUTURES, AND WHAT DID WE DO TO SUPPORT THEM? WE DIDN'T EVEN BOTHER TO HELP – DAMN IT. GOD DAMNIT."

Head Giles sighed unhappily at Elder Jaune's outrage. " _Jaune_ , if you want to blame, blame on me, the accursed eldest son of the previous head."

The whole room was holding its breath. They watched silently at Jaune, some with pity, some with fear, and others with both. After a long minute, Jaune smiled melancholically, tears trickle down his cheeks.

"I cannot." Jaune said sadly as he slumped back to his seat, covering his eyes with his hand. "Your father was right about one thing about their mission. It was _suicidal_. They were marching towards their death. The shrine maidens weren't happy out Luna's death." He added as an afterthought.

Head Giles massaged his head. "At least now, the demons and part demon are fine with us…and we don't exterminate them except for the rogues. We are _lucky_ the war is not well-known on the surface."

"Ho, but _Signer_ managed to undo the Black Mage's seal, didn't he?" Elder Ceily muttered once she felt it was safe to speak.

"Even if the flame is gone, the smoke will linger, huh?" Giles muttered to himself darkly.

"We still haven't discussed about Lea's _pernicious_ situation." Hiven growled. Giles glared at him.

"Shut up, Blondy." Jaune snarled. Hiven glared at the elder man in return.

"She's doesn't have a leash to limit her movements. That and she can be very unpredictable at times." The thirty-two year old Elder continued. "The way I see it, we _must_ control her."

"If you were a sailor, can you control the wind?" Giles asked. Hiven was taken aback. Giles grinned, showing his pointed canines. Hiven looked uncomfortable with the question as he began to perspire which was a feat as the room was cool with the cold air.

"The wind does not obey you. You can only use your sail to go – and that depends on the wind's mood." Giles continued. "It may go against you – and it may aid you. You would make a great sailor if you _even bother_ to use your head." He said in a tone of finality.

 _Hiven is still young and arrogant. That will be his downfall if he can't mature – fast._ Head Giles thought with a frown on his face.

"Of course, if you ever try to limit the trio's movements…" Head Giles did gesture with his index finger to his throat. "Is that clear?"

"Crystal." Hiven physically shrank in his seat during his lecture and went quiet for the whole meeting after that.

…

* * *

…

On the same day as the Elders' meeting, bathed under the moonlight, a mercenary looked over the town of Henesys with his azure eyes, tossing the stone in the air with his free hand. He pulled the travelling cloak closer to himself as the bitter wind came.

 _The information broker…must be somewhere in this town…_

* * *

 _ **Thoughts are the shadows of our feelings – always darker, emptier and simpler.**_

 _ **~Friedrich Nietzche**_


	8. Chapter 8 The Fool's Journey

**Chapter cover:** A hooded stranger with her cape dancing with the desert wind. The sunset cast a long shadow on the hooded stranger.

* * *

...

It was Lea's third day – still falling, still muttering apologies – knowing it was hopeless. The memories she had tried to suppress flood her mind. There was nothing to see except for the memories replaying over and over again.

At one point, her inner demon appeared in the pitch black world. It was possible as the pitch black world is a place where only the two of them can reside – and leave. Although Lea could not see much – she sensed its presence.

Above her muttering of useless apologies, her inner demon filed its fingernails (somehow) as they fell down together. Her inner demon sat cross-legged in the air, and continues its work without a single word.

If Lea was in her right mind, she would have thought the demon was mocking her.

Finally, the demon sighed, and stopped filing. "Pathetic. Just pathetic." It rattled its bounded hands. They could not see each other, but they can sense each other. By rattling its chains, it wanted Lea to acknowledge its presence.

"We are _so_ broken. I wonder how we put the broken parts of _us_ together all these years." The demon paused, waiting for Lea's response. Once there were none, it continued. "Ah, you accept me so easily."

It was a fact, and Lea knew it. She bit her bottom lip, feeling more hopeless than before.

The demon sensed her emotion and frowned, shaking its head. "Did you know…when I was first created?"

With a sad smile, the demon hugged Lea from behind – startling Lea. It wiped her tears away with its fingers. It decided on a human form – identical to its creator. Lea took comfort with the demon's hug; its warmth was spreading throughout her body. For some reason, the demon reminded Lea of her beloved mother.

It began to hum a song, it did little good to calm Lea, but at least the little girl had stopped crying. After a while, the demon found itself holding little Lea – no older than five years old. It chuckled to itself as it held Lea in its arms.

It did nothing much for Lea to regress into her five year old self. It needed Lea to put down her strong façade and be true to herself – at least in front of her inner demon. It knew her struggles, her doubts, her suspicions – her hatred and love for the world she – no, they lived in – the demon corrected itself.

Ah, walking more than a few millennia…fighting to keep her promises, starting anew with every life, guiding the people she loves to the right path. Like a silent guardian, Lea, the current name of this life - and her inner demon, its name long forgotten, but if its creator chose to bestow it a new name, then so be it.

Still – its thin eyebrows furrowed – the reason why they kept reincarnating was…an oath they must keep. An oath to a Transcendent – which, it thought dryly – will never change nor broken. Even if it was fulfilled – the tranquility will not last long – the cycle will start again.

"Transcendents are formerly humans after all." The little Lea muttered. The demon chuckled as it tied Lea's hair to a ponytail. It had forgotten in this pitch black world where only both of them could reside – they could read each other thought perfectly.

It sensed Lea's confusion. "The answers will come to you; once you are ready."

Lea nodded silently. "I am a sinner aren't I?" The demon chuckled humorlessly.

"We have our own flaws. Demons and angels are formerly human – but, if you ask me who or what is worse…I do not know nor will I seek the answer to the question." The demon said. "Once you walk as long as _I_ , with your memories retain every single _time_ , you will find yourself in need for entertainment."

"And you-" It continued, cuddling the little Lea. "must wake up soon. Those memories you try to forget, don't. They are what made you the ' _you'_ right now. I know we yearn for the better days – I know you think I am evil, but can you really say that? I have comforted you all those bitter times where you are alone."

"Even the times when you were tortured…" It added as a whisper. "I may be a horse, but I will protect my rider if I can." Their foreheads gently touched. "So…if you miss me – you just have to look through your memories. It is a boundary that separates the current _you_ and the ancient _me_."

"Treasure them – treasure them." It advised. It blinked its deep red eyes at Lea whose eyes had golden flecks in it. The demon felts its grip disappearing as Lea became less solid. In that pitch black world, for the first time in centuries – there were flaming torches lighting up the world. Instead of falling, the demon and Lea landed on a solid ground and they observed their surroundings. They stood up together and the demon let Lea go. It was only then it realized Lea was wearing a Japanese yukata, it was plain blue.

It was a good sign. Lea has calmed down; there was no trace of doubt on her composure.

The demon felt the corner of its mouth tugging. They were in a corridor with doors, some big, some small – some locked, some left opened by a margin but Lea wasn't interested in those. Little Lea – with her hardened face and flames lit with determination, went straight ahead to the biggest door of all – the door which will allow Lea to leave _their_ world.

With each little step, Lea grew back to her original size. The sound of the dull thud of the Geta shoes hit the tiles was endearing to the demon. By the time she reached the exit, she grew back to her original size, her head held high and her arms tucked by her side.

With a twist of the knob, the door opened. The soft light bathed Lea with its brilliance. The demon grinned at the blinking Lea. The moment Lea took a step out of the door; the yukata was replaced with more practical clothing. A cotton shirt, and a long, comfortable pants. Even the Geta shoes were replaced with black combat boots.

Instead of the usual brown travelling cloak, Lea wore white instead. As Lea continued to walk, she pulled the hood up, allowing the shadow of the hood to hide part of her face.

The demon watched as Lea continued her fool's journey. It kept watching until the snow white cloak could not be seen.

After a wave of its hand, it turned around – and felt its creator escaping from their world. The moment Lea left, the world became pitch black once again. The doors which were opened slammed shut by itself, and instead of a simple lock, they were covered with chains, held tightly.

The demon knew it was useless to try to force its way through. It sat on the cool ground and laughed, covering its blood red eyes. It wasn't lying about protecting its rider – but it was doing that for its own interest.

Like almost all immortals – it wants entertainment in this world.

 _Every journey has its beginnings and its ends – now,_ The demon clasped its hands together and placed its chin on top of them as it sat on the ground. _Will our journey have its ending too? Or will we be walking forever in this world?_

 _..._

* * *

 **A/N: Left a few hints in this chapter and the chapters before this. You can predict what will happen and to be honest, I suck at imagery since I tend to overdo them most of the times. Trying my very best to improve and I need time to piece the puzzles together. Come to think of it, how did I even manage to write a long chapter with 10k words last time?  
**

 **If you spot any mistakes, be sure to tell me. Thank you for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9 Dual's Lesson

**Chapter cover:** Dual stretching while his body basked under the morning sun, facing forward with his dagger in his mouth.

* * *

...

 **Date: 12/9/ X643  
Time: 10:53:46**

In one of the training grounds near Henesys, Dual cracked his knuckles after he tossed his jacket to his bag. For the first time, Dual never felt so grateful for a sparring lesson since enrolling the damn school. He needed something to relieve his stress. Wrapping the bandages around his hands to his forearms, he took a deep breath, and then exhaled slowly. It was cold outside, but his lots of stretching and movement warmed Dual right up.

Dual sneaked a glance at his opponent. His opponent was a guest; or that's what _he_ claimed earlier. A veteran mage, only three years older than him – and the one who created the bounded field in the school's hunting ground for today's lesson.

Noticing his glance, the seventeen year old mage smirked. With a hairband in his mouth, he combed his jet-black hair with his bandaged hands before tying it into a ponytail. With his soft features and skin as delicate as porcelain, Dual had mistaken the mage as a female until he told his true gender to the class – to many boys' horrors and the girls' delights. Hell, even his long, slightly wavy hair misled them.

He was so lost in his own train of thoughts that he failed to notice his opponent's shouts – that was, until somebody dumped a bucket of cold water from who-knows-where.

"Hey!" Dual protested. His 27 classmates snickered at his reaction. He did a quick 180 degree turn and found there was nobody near him. He scowled at the teacher.

"Kid, you ready?!" The teacher had to raise his voice. It was calm and soothing like water when he talks normally, but like a waterfall when he shouted.

Dual stuffed his scarf into his duffel bag before turning around and nod. He realized his action was stupid and shouted back, "Yes, sir!" before hurrying to the middle of the sparring field, a blush forming on his cheeks.

They stood opposite each other. Damn, the teacher was tall. Dual looked up while his teacher looked down. Dual was surprised at the golden flecks in the teacher's eyes. He had heard of _this_ condition before, but never seen it close up.

Until now.

Dual found himself mesmerized by the teacher's eyes. It was as if the sun was peeking out of the stormy clouds.

"Got a coin?" The teacher said; snapping Dual out of his trance. Dual frantically dug his pockets and found a bronze meso. With an approving nod, before Dual could blink, the meso was gone.

"My fifty-" Dual protested.

"I will give you back…if you manage to…pass this test," The teacher interrupted, his eyes gleaming mischievously, flipping the coin and snatched it back before Dual could. "If." He repeated.

"Filthy priest." Dual growled, his eyes twitching from rage. The priest clicked his tongue.

"It's _Jake_. You shorty." The priest let out a dramatic sigh, even fluttering his long lashes for a bonus. "Kids these days have _no_ manners."

Dual felt nauseous. Jake is a boy, right?

Dual glared at Jake who tucked his shirt, it wasn't perfect as there were a few spots where the shirt was loose. "Says the person who _has_ my fifty meso coin!"

Jake lets out a yawn, and waved the point off. "Yeah, yeah. Give me your best shot in the count of 3. You have ten minutes to do so and…" He grabbed Dual's right kick with ease. Dual narrowed his eyes.

Jake is fast.

"No weapons allow except for your body, I didn't say anything about magic, did I?" The priest continued as if nothing had happened. "You can use them – _if_ you are confident you can control your mana flow perfectly. Any questions?"

Dual growled. He hated Jake's guts – whether he likes it or not, he had to admit Jake is adept in unarmed combat despite being a mage. "Yes, can you let my leg go?" Jake flipped Dual over, but Dual managed twist in midair and landed on his feet like a cat.

Jake pointed at Dual, and then with his finger, he motioned Dual to step back until there was a reasonable distance between them. When Dual fulfilled Jake's request, Jake went into an attacking stance.

"3!" Jake shouted. If it wasn't for his excellent kinetic vision, Dual wouldn't see Jake.

Dual gave the charging Jake a confused expression. "What the-"

That was all Dual had time to say before he was kicked upwards. He felt his lip bleed from biting it. He barely had time to prepare himself, _oh that dirty, little_ -

Then again, people are cheaters in their own way.

Dual managed to twist his body and curled into a ball before somersaulting in the air once he hit the ground. Jake was whistling rather happily at his surprise attack. If he had a staff, Dual was sure Jake would have swung it at him, instead, he threw a right hook. Dual slid across the grass, dodging Jake's punch and used his hands to balance himself on the ground and spun with his hands as a pivot, allowing his kicks to land onto Jake's chest.

Yeah, it connected – right where Jake wanted. Jake was pissed as Dual had dirtied his clean T-shirt. Dual caught a glimpse of Jake's narrowed eyes and the small movement Jake was about to make.

Dual cussed as he did a backflip to put distance away from Jake. If he was one millisecond late, his movements will be halted again as Jake grasped the air with his right hand.

Jake didn't even flinch as he merely dusted off his pants, but his eye twitched a little when he saw another footprint on his pants and wiped the sweat of his brows with the back of his hand. "What kind of hair gel did you use? It's still spiky, even with that amount of perspiration."

That was so random that Dual felt the tension earlier was a lie.

He ignored Jake. He knew being short has its own advantage, he's nimble and a bonus, fast – and tall enemies hardly touch him.

But Jake…the movements he made was not what typical muscle idiots do. Dual felt Jake is used to fighting opponents shorter than him. He was tackling two major weaknesses of short people, one, they need to pull tall people down to their reach, second, without strength; speed is useless against people with good defense – worst, when the opponent is as nimble.

Dual hated situations like this. Sure, he has muscles – but, not enough power to penetrate Jake's defenses. If his assumption was right, Jake was only 170 cm to 175 cm tall. With 19 (minus his hair) cm to 24 cm difference and a few _correct_ moves, Jake would lose the sparring match.

That is – if Dual can attack the chinks of Jake's armour fast and strong. Dual widened his eyes in concentration before scowling at Jake.

He saw Jake's mouthing: _'Come at me, shorty.'_ Then, Jake crouched down – a perfect way to underestimate Dual.

Not letting the opportunity go, Dual charged, and Jake swiped up dirt into Dual's eyes, temporary blinding Dual. Dual tried to knee Jake only to find his attack deflected with a wave of a hand. There was no barrier, nothing magical to protect Jake and yet…

Dual felt it. Jake had pushed it away by using the palm of his hand, gently to the other side.

Dual realized one more thing about his opponent. Jake is _only_ fit, there's not much extremely hard and tough muscle in his body which was a surprise especially since his T-shirt hid his physique. Dual expected Jake to be muscular, but he was just fit.

Dual almost missed Jake's grin as he was blinking dirt away from his eyes, trying to get his bearings right. Jake grabbed Dual's collar and ran forward, forcing Dual to gag and wasted his energy trying to pull the cloth away to breathe.

There were gasps of surprise from the students. Dual knew it was rare for him to be at his opponent's mercy.

 _Shit_. _SHIT!_

Once again, Dual was reminded humans fought differently from monsters. Except for their durability and predictable moves and oddball intelligence, humans excel in other aspects.

Left with no other choice, Dual stripped his shirt off, leaving him with his purple undershirt. Dual knew he was lucky, and Jake discarded Dual's white, cotton, shirt before stretching his back.

Dual felt he was being mocked although he knew it wasn't Jake's intention. It was the same thing as Lea.

 _Why Lea?_ He asked himself. It was weird. What did Jake do to remind him of Lea? The adrenaline pumped in his body made the gears turned faster.

Then, his eyes went wide as saucers. Was he right? Was he?

Dual looked at Jake with narrowed eyes. As if sensing the change of mood, Jake clapped his hands once, and turned around as he use is left heel as pivot, his sneakers were almost worn out – Dual noted. Jake gave him a knowing look. The priest was challenging him.

A breeze came, cooling Dual's hot body down. He got into a defensive stance, right foot forward and left foot backward; his arms were dropped by his side, giving Jake an opening.

It was on purpose.

And _they_ knew it.

Jake chuckled to himself and focused his mana into his arms. Golden twirls of light coiled around Jake's arm, wrapping them. Whether it was for defense or attack – Dual couldn't tell. At least he knew Jake was reinforcing his arms.

It was the basis of magic. _Reinforcement_ – the user can reinforce a weapon, like steel into a harder material. However, doing reinforcement magic wrong could potentially destroy the weapon itself. It was one of the main reasons why most people rarely reinforced their own bodies. A few people can take reinforcement magic to a higher level, but not everyone can do.

However, reinforcement is one of the best methods in testing the user's control in the output of mana. It has become one of the most popular training methods in mana output since without control, the user may end up killing himself or herself.

Dual felt a shiver down his spine. He never felt this thrill except for dangerous situations – right now, in front of him. Jake is _the_ dangerous one. He was positive Jake has no rings on his fingers for a stopgap.

"Ha. Ha." Dual laughed. At first, it was just a small laugh, and then, a bigger laugh escaped from Dual's lips. He knew his laughter sounded insane, but what could he do? He never felt so alive, he needs the thrill to survive or else life would be boring.

Dual then beckoned and Jake obliged. The golden mana was dazzling in Dual's eyes as it came towards him. Jake twisted his body half way and his back slammed onto Dual, and Dual used his arms to grab Jake's neck as they collided and used the momentum of his body as he twisted to overthrow Jake.

It succeeded as Jake went down with a slam, but recovered quickly as rolled over to the side and got up. Dual was the only panting heavily. The wind was silent – no – he corrected himself – _everything is silent_. He could hear his heartbeat, thumping furiously in his chest that he thought his heart would burst out from there.

 _Damn. So close._ Dual thought. His keen eyes were trying to grasp Jake's next movement. Jake's gaze, the part where his body tense and relax – Dual can see them all. Dual narrowed his eyes at Jake's arms – it was still enchanted. Normally, if a mage was distracted, the spell the mage was supposed to maintain will waver and if Dual is lucky, the spell will be broken and the mage will be defenseless.

It was one of the main reasons why a mage must have a protector. However, these days, mages can put up a good fight – even without partners. The priest opposite Dual is one of the best examples. Better yet, they must have a good durability to stand against a stronger opponent. Stamina and strength – they are very important to everyone. If they were fighting against monsters, they are valuable weapons they _must_ hone.

Dual rushed forward and jumped when Jake tried to sweep his legs. Dual kicked twice to Jake's face, but met resistance which was Jake's reinforced arms. Dual felt as if he was hitting steel – and that was something, since his opponent is a _human_ instead of a _monster_. However, a flash of pain was shown on Jake's face and Dual felt very proud of his strong legs.

It wasn't good as Dual noted there was no sound of broken bones.

Dual made his next move. He did a backflip and put a distance between him and used his hands to twist his body around in triumph to meet Jake's uppercut. Dual barely dodged it as he moved his body to the right, but Jake managed to nick Dual's cheek.

With his long legs, Dual was not surprised on how did Jake covered the slightly long distance. Although Dual flinched a little at the pain, he recovered quickly as he swept Jake's leg and later, using the back of his hand to wipe the bleeding cut on his cheek once he caught a brief break. Jake jumped his left leg, then his right as he predicted Dual's sweeping movement. Jake smirked.

Before Dual knew it, Jake's punch was an inch away from his face and Dual fell back on his bum, blinking the golden lights away as they danced in front of his eyes.

An alarm clock rang. It was so sudden that both Dual and Jake were startled. The students clapped, some even cheered for the amazing spar. Jake sighed as he put his arms down before releasing the reinforcement spell. The golden wisps of mana dissipated into the air.

Without another word, Jake offered a hand towards Dual. Dual hesitated, beads of sweats trickled down his face. He realized he had been sweating more than usual to the point his undershirt clung to his torso.

"Damn." Dual muttered, mostly to himself as he took Jake's calloused hand and felt himself pulled up to his feet from Jake. When Dual looked at Jake, he realized Jake was sweating, but not as much as Dual. Jake had dirt on his face, even if Dual wanted to see more of his fruits of his attacks – there were none, Dual noted disappointedly. No open wounds, nothing except for footprints on Jake's loose shirt and pants – personally by Dual. On the bright side, at least he made Jake pant heavily, although most of it came from the crazy concentration.

Dual had a feeling Jake was going easy on him, at least – until the reinforcement part.

They shook hands real quick before letting each other go. Before Jake could leave, Dual stopped him with a sentence. "You're Lea's brother."

It wasn't a question.

Jake blinked and laughed until his sides ache. He clapped a hand on Dual's shoulder and nodded.

Jake cleared his throat before removing the bandages and examined his bruised knuckles with his raised eyebrows. "Good job figuring it out. I didn't tell my name to your class. I want to see how good are their perception is." He eyed on Dual evenly. "That includes you…especially since my sister talks highly about you."

Dual felt his face turning red from the compliment. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly, not knowing how to respond to it.

"You get a B though." Jake drew the alphabet in the air with his finger in case Dual haven't notice.

"A passing grade?" Dual asked hopefully. Jake's smile widened.

"B because you fail on getting my knees to the ground." Jake tapped the earth to emphasize. "Your battle judgment is correct, but you make a few wrong moves to be honest. For example, you rushed forward when I purposely let my guard down. It may be a cheap move, and I'm not into that chivalry stuff. Another, you use your sight too much. And that's not too good."

Dual gave Jake a confused look. "Sight?"

"Yes, like – in front of your eyes sort of thing." Jake replied, his tone sounded mocking. Dual shook his head.

"Isn't it important?"

Jake snorted at the question. "Of course it's bloody important. If you're blinded during the battle, can you tell where your enemy position is?" He silenced the impatient Dual as Dual was letting the emotions getting better of him. "I know your night vision is better than norm. However, there are times when you can't rely on your sight. Do you deny it?"

Dual clenched his fist as he remembered the horrible situation. A target, a former knight specialized in illusions managed to outwit Dual. The knight created a bounded field, his castle and Dual was supposed to scout it, only to find it was a trap as he had wandered away from the area. And using the time Dual was wandering in circles in the ruins, the knight escaped and the mission was passed to another team led by Ryden, his mentor who gazed at him with disappointment. It was a horrible feeling, to let down his mentor's expectations.

Ryden's lecture came back to Dual. _'Let this be a lesson to you, never 100% trust your eyes.'_

Dual slumped his shoulders in defeat and looked down at his shoes. "Yes."

"It's not just illusions you have to be wary about. Appearances can be deceiving." Jake added in a low voice. Dual managed to pick up Jake's guilt although Jake sounded calm. He looked up and admired the perfect structure of Jake's face. It was like a mask as it hid Jake's emotions if Jake chooses to.

Another thing to add on Dual's mental list.

"That's all." Jake added with a tone of finality. Then, he turned away from Dual and ordered a few medics to treat Dual's injuries. Dual was ushered into a tent where a medic was on standby. It was a few metres away from the sparring area as Dual can hear shouts and cheers of the students as the second match began.

At one point, the medic in-charge brought his stuff to him. Dual muttered his thanks before the medic bowed and left the tent.

After his treatment, he lies back down on the picnic mat and closed his crimson eyes, thinking about Jake's advices.

He should have thanked Jake earlier. He began to wonder about Jake, what were his reasons for bothering to come to teach for today? To search for his sister?

Dual snapped his fingers. He had forgotten about Lea's coma since the start of the sparring match. He was sure Lea would come about soon. But...the situation speaks for itself.

With a sigh, he turned and curled up as he prepared to sleep. Fortunately, sleep came to him easily as he was exhausted, as the adrenaline was no longer in effect.

And later that day, he found his muscles sore as he had forgotten to cool down his body.

…

* * *

…

Deep inside the grand temple of time, the glided Roman pillars surrounded the Transcendent of Time. The transcendent smiled sadly as she watched the current generation suffering from the floating mirror in front of her. Even the ' _Counter Guardian_ ' was weary of her journey. But for now, the _Counter Guardian_ was resting.

"Milady, the length of the scrolls is getting smaller. Is it time?" One of her Temple Keepers said. The person in charge was an old man; his long beard held a telescope and was leveled to his right eye. Normally, he would be in his post, but for today he observed the present instead of the past.

The transcendent parted her soft, delicate lips. "My time is running out. I am afraid that's the case. There is a high chance I won't be able to help the _Counter Guardian_ as I did three centuries ago." Her voice was as soothing as an angel; there was no trace of fear or panic in her voice.

"I see." She failed to notice the temple keeper's tightened grip on his staff.

The temple keeper sighed as he watched the transcendent's back. "Will the Fool's Journey ever end? _Her_ journey is long, exciting, but tiring to watch even for this old man."

The transcendent did not answer. Instead, she smoothen the wrinkles of her chiton and averted her eyes away from the mirror in front of her.

"The future is unpredictable and I cannot change _her_ fate – she was destined to walk forever in her journey. I can only help by taking the _memories_ of her previous lives, so they wouldn't torment her in the present. Alas, she will eventually remember them when the time comes."

The temple keeper sighed again. "Let's pray for a good ending for her and her past."

And they did it together in their hearts.

They prayed for the World.

They prayed for the end of all suffering.

And last, but not least, they prayed for a better future.


	10. Chapter 10,5 First move, The Black Queen

**Chapter cover:** Silhouettes of four people. In the middle of the four, Lea faced forward with a black sword in her left hand.

* * *

...

 **Summary:**

This is a story about a squad from the Clan Of Stars. OWL, CROW, DOVE, LION, and BADGER are codenames for five individuals. Some are revealed, while others are still unknown. There are only speculations about those five individuals, but only the Head Family (H.F) and a few certain Elders of the clan know the squad involving those five people.

This is a story where the gears of the world begin to turn - whether it will lead to the World's death or the World's survival...only fate can tell.

The chessboard from eons ago...the players and the pieces are set. The white player has made his move. How will the squad handle his move? What will they sacrifice? Who is the real black player among the five?

* * *

...

OWL's Report I

In a two weeks time, one of the Black Mage's commanders will make their move. As for who - I do not know. Whoever is reading this report, for once, sit down, and consider your decision properly - I have two conditions.

1\. This mission must be led by me. Only the 6th squad. As for the members, I am sure you have known at least two of my members are stationed in Ereve. They don't have much choice since they are connected to the Silent Crusade - a hidden faction of Ereve. CROW and BADGER. DOVE will be there too, for "protection". As for the last member, LION, he will be on standby.

Any injuries inflicted on my squad members, are my responsibility. Therefore, have a peace of mind - I will deal with the problems.

2\. Don't bother stopping me. You can _try_ to stop my squad - and if their plans succeed, let's just say Maple World is doom.

I am still trying to dig up more information from my " _connections_ ". It looks like the commander is challenging the Empress.

...

* * *

...

OWL's Report II

I have attached the newspaper article with this report. CROW and BADGER told me the situation in Ereve is...bad. Tactician Neinheart is doing everything he can to calm the situation, CROW said Empress Cygnus is doubtful of her rights of the throne. It was an unexpected psychological attack towards the Empress.

 **THE MOON - 18/3/ X643**

 **SHOCKING NEWS! WHO IS THE TRUE EMPRESS?**

As we know, Maple World always have an Empress of Ereve - and it is our beloved Empress Cygnus or is it? Eight days ago (10/3) , a woman claimed Empress Cygnus is a fraud and she does not have the royal blood of the Empress. The woman, called herself Hilla challenged Empress Cygnus for the throne. She has the _Skaia_ , a legendary jewel which thought lost - or was it? The legendary jewel was supposed to be passed down through the line of the Empress of Ereve and although the _current_ Empress do not have it, she does have the royal blood of the Empress line - but, even that is called into question. The conference will take place at Ereve, with most of the Explorers and the Job Instructors of Victoria Island attending on 20/3/ X643 and of course, the rightful heir to the throne will be revealed on that confrontation.

Commander Hilla...she's dangerous. I will confront her personally - without my squad members, they agree, since we have no idea what is her strength.

A Hero is making his or her move. It's not Mercedes or Aran. Evan won't be attending the conference. For convenience, I will call the Hero PHANTOM. I cannot trace its movements too much or else giving my position away.

...

* * *

...

CROW's Report I

OWL will be moving on her own on the day of the confrontation. DOVE will be sitting in the conference - we have confirmed he will be arriving with Grendal. Not sure about LION's movements, judging from his words,it is likely he will be helping OWL on escaping if it comes to that.

As for me, my job is to clean up any mess they leave behind. DOVE will be doing his own things. BADGER will do what she does best in the shadows.

...

* * *

...

 **Location: Ereve**

 **Date: 20/3/ X643**

 **Time: 13:55:02**

In the middle of the conference room, Empress Cygnus was fidgeting with her dress. Neinheart noticed her movements and managed a smile despite the strained atmosphere. "Nervous?"

She nodded numbly. She rubbed her eyes and did her best not to yawn, she didn't get much sleep the night before and ate a little for breakfast. Her eyes darted around the roman pillars. She looked up and heaved a sigh. It was a beautiful blue sky.

With her five Knights beside her, she felt slightly braver, but as time drags on, her confidence crumbled bit by bit. She didn't show it. In front of a huge crowd, with the Explorers whispering doubts in front of her, she felt she had no ally among them. Then, she caught an owl's eye.

She was surprised. Normally owls do not live here and yet, how did one get up here? Is it somebody's pet?

Then, the sound of a gong rang throughout the room. And the owl flew away, forcing the Empress to focus the beautiful brown haired lady whose clothes were a darker shade of blue of her dress and an circlet - identical to Cygnus's - on her head, walking towards her with a confident smile on her face, and flanked by four guards. They stopped at a distance away, and their eyes met.

Hilla has arrived.

XXX

Perching on one of the intertwining pillars, there was a person. On the other side, was another hooded person. They both notice each other presence and stared at each other, but the shadows of their hood covered part of their faces and they were at the shadows. The breeze blew past them, but it wasn't enough to blow up their hoods. One was wearing a mask, another did not.

Then, one of them did a hand signal: _Not an enemy._

Recognizing the hooded person's swift hand dance, the young girl replied back with her own: _Hilla is a liar_.

With a curt nod, they both turned their attention back on the newcomer, Hilla. The hall was silent as they waited for Hilla to speak.

The young girl curled her lip. Her right eye, its sclera had turned black as she activated her ability. Her right pupil became smaller and she managed to break through Hilla's glamour. Underneath that glamour was a red-haired woman, the child frowned under the leather mask. From this position, she can't see Hilla's face, only a part of it was shown.

Unconsciously, her hands went for her weapons which was hung by her side, underneath her cloak.

 _Oh shit, her guards are skeletons?!_

Immediately, Lea released her ability. Her right eye throbbed painfully, but she could not cover it as her left eye was covered by the mask.

"Alright, everyone look at this!" Hilla had a jewel on her hand, lifting it by the chain, she announced to the crowd. "Skaia, the keepsake from Empress Aria is glowing brightly in my hand."

Even from here, Lea could see the jewel shining its luster off. She bit her lip. She wanted to shout, but she has to wait for the right moment. She heard of stories about Skaia, that it was lost long time ago and never seen again. Lea wanted to punch Hilla's face for her proud tone.

"This proves that I have the power of the empress." Hilla paused, waiting for the information to sink in.

Lea could see traces of doubt on the peoples' features. Jake had a scowl on his face when he saw the jewel. Some people wowed at the elaborated jewel and soon after that, chaos ensued. People started chatting with each other about the jewel and Hilla. Almost immediately, they stopped and stared expectantly at Hilla.

Hilla smiled. "Do you understand that?" Now you know who is the true master of Ereve is." She closed her eyes before smiling smugly at the current Empress who looked worried, her eyes dancing wickedly.

Lea wanted to laugh. The woman was naive. _Oh well,_ Lea popped her index finger. _the lie has been spoken. The truth will come soon..._

Again, the chaos came like a storm. Lea observed the current Empress. Her hands were clasped together so tightly that the knuckles turned white. Empress Cygnus's eyes were downcast as she listened to the Explorer's conversations.

"Can't believe-"

"No way- it was supposed to be gone!"

Lea couldn't take it anymore, she just laughed right then and there, silencing the crowd. Puzzled, they looked around the room, fortunately LION was doing a good job, doubling over with Lea's laughter. Then, she stopped and LION stopped having a fit and wiped the tears from his eyes, people were wondering if LION was still a child as he was laughing in a girl's voice. However, Empress Cygnus was not convinced and she almost spotted Lea who became still, not making unnecessary movements.

"Wait." A voice said. It was strong and confident. Lea looked at the hooded person who was addressing the crowd from his hiding place.

 _Good job._ Lea thought before directing her attention back to Hilla who had looked uneasy. Empress Cygnus's eyes widened with surprised at the voice. Lea could see the light of hope in her eyes - although it was far. Lea felt the corners of her mouth twitching.

"Don't you think you're jumping to conclusions a little too early?" The hooded person continued, spinning his cane then stopped his little action.

"First of all..." He added smoothly. "there's the bloodline."

"Empress Aria didn't have any children. That is why she gave up her throne to her niece."

Lea nodded at the fact.

"Your identity is rather _suspicious_." He paused. Lea watched as a few of the Explorers' expressions changed. Jake looked as if he wanted to throttle Hilla's neck.

Hilla gasped then retorted. "What are you talking about?!"

Conveniently, he continued as if nothing has happened. "Secondly, an empress who's not an adult yet has a weak body. That's because she cannot fully accept the power of Shinsoo."

People are glancing around, wondering who is the speaker, their expressions, confused. The Aran has his arms tucked, and his eyebrows furrowed. Lea raised an eyebrow. Last she heard, there is a girl - and now a boy? She filed the information in her brain.

"Thirdly and finally, did you _mention_ that the treasure of Ereve is the _Skaia_?" He took a deep breath. "That was a false rumour only created to attract the thief _Phantom_."

Lea wanted to facepalm. She never thought 'Phantom' was his name. She conveniently gave the hero that nickname because he was hard to trace. While Lea was lost in her thoughts, she failed to notice Phantom's wink at her.

Hilla began to panicked as she took a step backwards, her eyes darting around her surroundings - especially the audience.

"Skaia was a common gem that Empress Aria favoured."

Hilla growled at the sky, frustration was evident in her voice, with each word, rising into a scream. " _Just how can we believe your words?!_ "

Between Hilla and Empress Cygnus, was the hooded person. Traces of black and white mana swirled around his feet, indicated he had teleported there, then the mana dissipated into the air. Hilla had to cover her eyes as the sudden blast of wind came from the mana hit her. There was a stunned silence.

Taking advantage of the silence, Phantom continued. "There is no way you cannot believe me, that's because the real Skaia is with me..."

He discarded his cloak, revealing his identity. He wore clothes that was meant for noble, but with her keen eye, Lea could tell they were tailored for battle. The hat on the other hand, puzzled Lea. It was the first time she saw a hat like this. Blue scarf, a mask that he could pull down anytime and the feathers...were they from the monsters of Ereve?!

With his dramatic appearance, he introduced himself. "in the hands of thief Phantom!"

Hilla was horrified. That was a priceless expression.

Lea clapped her hands twice, echoing the area. Along with it, the two elves stood up and exclaimed or...fangirled, "Phantom!" Only Jake looked at her hiding spot, but he wore his poker mask. It was only a few moments and to avoid raising suspicions, he did a great job feigning his surprised expression.

Phantom summoned a card and threw it at the fake Skaia, shattering the jewel. Hilla gasped in surprise as a mixture of red and blue mana danced in the air as the container broke. Breaking out of their trance, the Cygnus Knights readied their weapons, glaring at Hilla with a displeased frown on their mouth.

"Are you going to continue putting up your act, Hilla?" He added coolly.

Immediately, Lea disliked Phantom. His cool attitude irked Lea. He spun his cane then slammed his palm onto the cane, halting it and began summoning his buffs; Chakra from the Thieves, Hyper Body from the Warriors and then Hurricane from the Archers. Lea raised an eyebrow. Reinforcement - close enough and projection. Subconsciously, she popped her index finger again. Her eye narrowed at the spells - it was odd, she couldn't see any mana traces around him except for the teleportation from before.

If it was fake spells - Lea grinned - that Phantom has accomplice.

"Now, how about revealing me your true colours?"

Lea felt the atmosphere around Hilla changed. Her eyes bulged with anger. "I have come this far..." She released her glamour, giggling as she did so. While dropping her act, she summoned her staff, the soldiers' glamour too, were released with hers. Her clothes changed too, and it looked as if it was from an old civilization, but it was a bit too revealing much to Lea's distaste. All the audience were at their battle stance, watching her every move.

Hilla sighed, her body relaxed. "Okay, fine. I'll back off on this one."

Lea did a long 'ehhh'. Hilla's eye twitched.

Lea continued, pulling down her hood, revealing her owl mask. "So are you gonna run with the tail between your legs? It's kinda...anti-climatic, isn't it?" Her voice were slightly muffled by the mask. Jake was baffled at her actions. He mouthed: _What are you doing?_

She jumped down, reinforcing her legs so that the impact will not hurt her as she hit the ground. People glanced at her, Cygnus's jaw dropped. Lea closed her right eye, temporary blinding herself. She let out a dramatic sigh and scratched the back of her head.

"I guess that can't be help, huh...I mean," Lea giggled. "it's expected for a shamaness like you to be a coward isn't it?" Lea put her right fist under her chin and tilted her head.

"What are you-" Grendal began. Lea shook her head.

Hilla made an eye contact with Lea. Hilla's eyes were at first narrowed then widened with surprise. Then, she laughed, doubling over. At the same time, Lea gestured at everyone in the room to back off, leaving her and Hilla and her skeleton warriors alone. They complied, not sure what to expect. Phantom at first hesitated, but when he caught Lea's murderous glare, he reluctantly left her, but near enough to give her assistance in case she needed it.

Hilla muttered. "You fool. You just went and reveal yourself - you do know I can kill you today right." While she spoke, her six skeleton warriors had her surrounded.

Lea sighed, unsheathing one of her twin swords. Its silver hilt reflected the light and shone directly at Hilla's face.

"That is..." Lea cracked her neck. "if you can hit me." Hilla was grinning from ear to ear at the prospect of killing Lea.

"I don't see why not!" Hilla used two of her fingers and pointed upwards, forcing her puppets to attack Lea. They attacked her all at once.

In Lea's eye, they moved extremely slowly. Lea swung her sword upward, breaking of the bones of the forearm of one skeleton and used her another hand to draw the second, obsidian blade. Lea stabbed one of them and forced herself upwards to avoid the lances, then kicked two of the skeleton's head which rolled over the floor, their jaws clattering. Their bodies disintegrated and at the corner of her eye, she saw another lance coming. She twisted her body that the lance merely grazed the cloak. Even with the cloak weighing her down, Lea felt her body was light.

Lea didn't waste her time speaking. She slid between their legs and before the skeletons could react, Lea threw her obsidian blade into the air, and grabbed the plumes of the helmet and pulled it off from the skeleton. Swinging the equipment around with her right hand, she threw it backwards where a pair of skeleton tried to stabbed her, but one of them was knocked down by the equipment. Whistling, she did a split and the two skeletons stabbed each other, they tried to pull out their weapons, but failed as they were lodged in between the ribs.

Hearing her obsidian blade coming back to earth, Lea did a handstand, and linked her legs to the linked lance and heard as the sharp lances pierced the cement where her feet used to be. Lea released her grip and fell to the ground, doing a cartwheel before somersaulting in the air, grabbing her second blade and brandished them together at the skeletons with a glint in her eye and skidded onto the ground as she landed.

The pair of skeletons who had tried to stabbed her legs went after her. When they tried to stabbed her, she deflected the weapons away and with one smooth stroke, she chopped away their heads. The disconnected bodies stumbled, then clattered to the ground, and disintegrated. With two more left, and the skeletons finally decided to release their lances and they charged after her. It was funny, since they are practically armed with bones.

One tried to grab her throat, only to find its bone fingers missing and the other had one of its leg cut off.

Normally, weapons can't cut through bones, except Lea's was reinforcing them.

Done with the final two, she turned her head towards Hilla who snarled. She swung her staff at Lea, a thin line on her lip. "No wonder...you _are_ a monster."

Lea growled in response.

Even slicing down the six skeletons, Hilla was confident she could escape. Lea's eyes narrowed at that thought. Something is wrong...the bounded field in Ereve...has it been weaken?

"No." Lea sheathed her swords, baffling everyone.

Hilla sighed sadly, batting her long lashes mockingly at Lea. "That's too bad." Hell fire erupted from the cracks of the ground, snaking its way to Lea. People gasped, some screamed when the flames scorched Lea. Lea felt the intensity of the flame, it wasn't as hot as hell's flames, but close enough. Without her knowledge, a smile was on her lips, under the leather mask. She thrust her palm towards the flames, sending part of her mana to dispel the spell. The purple flames was extinguished, and the earth mended itself.

Fortunately, it was only her cloak that was burnt to crisp. Lea swatted the ashes away from her hair and clothes which were in perfect condition thanks to her barrier. A four layer barrier was the only thing that protected her from Hilla's hellflame. Lea felt the barrier weakened after the assault which made her warier of the commander.

She retied the white cloth around her hands and then put her hands in the pockets of her camo pants. Her leather black jacket was zipped up, hiding her tank top underneath it.

It wasn't suitable for battle, but Lea wore it anyway since her battle outfit was in her locker in the school. Even if she wore it, it would be a dead giveaway especially to Athena and Grendal.

Many people had their jaws dropped to the floor, some even commenting about her height. The cloak she had earlier hid most of her body physique. Lea knew people have mistaken her as a boy instead of a girl, since her jacket hid her growing chest. She pulled a few strands of her loose hair and tucked it behind the ears as they had blocked her vision earlier.

Lea scrutinized Hilla's face - taking note of every detail of her face. Hilla was sweating buckets as Lea pressured Hilla with only her aura of power.

Hilla took a step back, her bottom lip bleed from biting too hard.

She spoke through her gritted teeth. "This isn't over."

"Nope. It isn't." Lea replied in her monotone voice, putting her hands in her pockets. Hilla smirked at Lea, unaware of her bleeding lip.

"Soon, the Maple World will be in his hands..." In a blink of an eye, Hilla struck the ground with her staff and dark, black mana surrounded her like a tempest and it gradually grew smaller, wrapping her body. Before she disappeared, Hilla's voice echoed throughout the room. "Your move... ** _child of twilight_**."

She heard Neinheart gasped. "Child of twilight?!"

Lea heard the guards chasing after her, surrounding her. Neinheart pointed at her, his face gave nothing away. "I have some questions for you."

Groaning, she shrugged and waved her hand at Empress Cygnus, saying goodbye. She half twisted her neck and caught Phantom's worried expression. Lea did a quick movement with her hand: _Thank you and goodbye._

Phantom widened his eyes then hid his smile behind his gloved hand. "Idiot." If he spoke any softer, Lea couldn't hear his words anymore.

Lea let herself sink into her own shadow and the world went black.

...

* * *

...

DOVE's report IX

OWL is fine and well. Normality is back in Ereve, but Neinheart was pissed as he couldn't find any traces of OWL and Phantom. The hero's name is Phantom, or so he claims. No injuries reported, unless you count a burnt cloak, then yes.

...

* * *

...

 **Location: Somewhere in Ossyria**

 **Date: 08/04/ X643**

 **Time: 03:08:23**

Elder Jaune pushed up his glasses and reread the reports from the trio, OWL, CROW and DOVE. He smiled at DOVE's 9th report. Although it had been roughly 19 days after the incident, he was still uneasy. His instinct told him the incident was not over. The sound of a phone ringing reached his old ears. Since he lived alone in this house, he has no choice, but to answer the call.

He stood up cautiously and went towards the sitting phone which was in another room.

"Hello?"

There was no reply except for a ragged breathing. With his brows furrowed together, he repeated the gesture.

The phone clicked and gave the end beeping tone. He stared at the phone on his hand, his uneasiness grew with every minute.

It was only years later he realized who had called him, it was too late to save the caller.

But from that moment, the peace of the Maple World was shattered. It was a slow, but a deadly poison to the World. Even if there was an antidote, it will be hard to obtained the antidote - especially if the sins of the past continues to haunt the Maple World.

...

* * *

 _"Making a promise is one thing, but keeping it is another. Do I really deserve to live for my broken promises?"_

 _-Anonymous_


	11. Chapter 10 Lumiere

**A/N: First, I want to apologize to my readers for not updating for so long because of my studies (and writing for RWBY fanfiction - thank you brain!). Second, a reply to one of the anon review.**

 **To Anon: If it is? :P Technically, I am using lots of symbolism (first time) since I am interested in these things. Haha, symbolism is not so easy in written form and comes in many forms, so you are not wrong about...Maple World being doom (or undoom - go figure) - go look up for Spirit Animal, Owl.  
**

* * *

 **Chapter cover:** The child version of Lea running to the left, her shadow attached to the present Lea; who was walking to the right with her white cloak dancing with the wind. The two of them have a determined look in their eyes.

* * *

...

Lea woke up in darkness, feeling lost. She felt something heavy on her left arm and used her right hand to touch the material. It was a cast, but why?

She sat up so suddenly that the white cloth which was placed on her head fluttered down to the bed and was attacked by nausea and stomachache.

It took a while for her to sense another presence in the room and blinked until her eyes got used to the darkness. She saw the slight outline of a person – a man and the hat…there is something familiar about it, she thought.

"Good evening," The voice said, it was familiar, but her slow mind could not pin it. A cup of water was thrust into her hands, and she drank it gratefully, the churning of her stomach settled down.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." The person shifted his weight as the chair creaked slightly. "You were asleep for at least two days."

That explains her stomach and her slow mind. The gears were spinning slowly, but it would take a while for her to think fast.

"Do you want anything?"

Lea struggled to form words; the mention of food stirred her appetite. "Porridge. Plain will do."

The person nodded, "I will get it ready. Woah-" The person barely caught her. Whoever this person is, he is sure strong. The grip is nostalgic.

Lea felt lethargic despite sleeping for two days. Perhaps the cause is the lack of food in her system.

"Where am I?" Lea asked, closing her eyes as the person moved towards the door and opened it, and the room lightened up a little from the outside source. Her gut instinct told her this was a bad idea. The person stopped and half-twisted his neck to look at the tired girl.

"My airship, Lumiere, of course."

Her brain just went hyperdrive. She was so stupid – the clues were all there, muscle memory, the outline and the voice, reminded her when they first met at Ereve.

Lea let out a groan and cussed. "Shit." Phantom was out of earshot by the time she cussed.


	12. Chapter 11 Two of Hearts

**Chapter cover:** A pale hand; adorning a white sleeve, reaching for a limped tanned hand with the glowing mark of a Dragon Master in the sea of black.

* * *

...

 **Date: 16/10/ X643  
Time: 05:14:02**

These days – to the Queen of Elves – the Maple World is at peace, at least on the surface. If she crossed the thin line, she knew it was still the same – humans and other species holding grudges against each other, but it was not as bad as three hundred years ago, where strife thrived on their negativity.

Yes, it is peaceful – Mercedes thought as she strokes her friend's fine mane gingerly. Sylvidia, the flying unicorn, nuzzled her and it brought a smile to the Elf Queen's lips. The queen had a long, wavy, pale-blonde hair, pinned with a berry leaf hair garment by her left side.

If people saw her eyes, their breath were taken away for it reminded them of the sea with those deep aqua eyes. Most women envy for her soft lips. Like her kind, she has pale porcelain skin and sharp, pointed ears – and nobody can mistake her as a human unless she hid them with her long hair.

Currently, she wore a summer dress and a straw hat on her head instead of her battle clothes as they were being mended by a human tailor – not that she could complain, since, some tailors can use magic, but not as much as a full-fledge mage. And they did well – much to her surprise.

However, she went to one particular tailor – an old man who has ears and eyes almost everywhere in the Maple World. She found out about the tailor through Grendal when she once, albeit reluctantly, told the Magician Job Instructor about her predicament regarding her clothes. Yes, she may have spares, but those spares were running out and her town's tailor is still frozen in ice – much to Mercedes's dismay.

Given with a paper with instructions, Mercedes found his lair easily. It was a dark place, with little light filtering through the deep woods of the north of Ellinia. Despite that – the old man prefers the darkness rather than the light.

The home, which the old tailor called 'home' was a place full of mannequins, with samples of clothes tailored for battle – and the strange thing was, the quality is on par with an Elf's battle outfit, despite a more human touch on them. The walls were bare except for sketches of clothes – most of them were more of casual wear than armor as he claimed he has no forge.

Basically, he has no good equipments meant for warriors.

Mercedes was bored waiting for her battle clothes to finish fixing – and decided to test her dexterity with her long hair. She was curious on how the girl Aran managed to fix a small braid and tied it in a ponytail with little time.

As she did a braid, her mind wandered back to the past.

Her first try was a catastrophe and she remembered Freud and Luminous trying not to laugh at her. On the other hand, the only other girl of the group of quartet sighed and gently pulled the tangled strands of hair with infinite patience although she needed a break.

The second attempt was almost just as bad as the first. The poor warrior was on a watch duty and could only give her tips about it – from one of the branches of the tree. _'Part them into 3 sections next time, how you want to hold them is up to you – the center should be left alone though. Oh, and make sure you tighten it; you don't want to leave any gaps. While doing the braiding, comb them to prevent any tangled hairs.'_

Before Mercedes could begin her third attempt, the child made sure to show a demonstration – and to Luminous's surprise, she let her snow white hair down and combed them with her fingers. Once she was satisfied, she did it slowly and carefully. The end result was a small braid hanging down her side, but without a ponytail.

Mercedes's eyes drank the movements greedily before doing hers. When it was done, Mercedes felt slight sense of achievement and the boys stopped teasing her – although Freud stopped it once he learned the hard way.

When she saw the girl Aran gave her the smallest of a smile, Mercedes thought she was imagining things as almost immediately, the smile was gone and replaced with her usual serious expression.

It was a small thing – but, it is a start of bonding between the two girls since the group was first formed.

Sylvidia threw her head up before pawing the ground, a signal to Mercedes somebody was here. The Elf Queen would have not noticed the signal if she hadn't felt a surge of mana nearby, far stronger than the old tailor's.

Mercedes inwardly groaned and her almost done braid unraveled itself as she let them slip past her fingers.

"I must say, it is a surprise to see you here too, Mercedes!" A friendly voice called out. Mercedes shook her head and turned towards a familiar thief who had appeared through the tornado of cards at a good distance. The faint light shone on the newcomers, allowing Mercedes to have a good look at them.

Phantom is still wearing the same fancy hat, but his clothes were more…casual when compared to his noble clothes. The master thief wore a long sleeved shirt and brown slacks along with his usual decorated gloves.

Is it her or all the Heroes are having a day off today?

Beside the thief, was a person she didn't know, but looked similar to the young child she bonded centuries ago, was beside Phantom. For a moment, Mercedes saw an image of the girl Aran in her place.

"Aran?!" Mercedes exclaimed, and Phantom chuckled.

The girl snorted and tucked her arms. She has the same hairstyle as Aran, her eyes looked harsh – mature – Mercedes corrected herself – and the way she carried herself was not like the lowly peasants of Ariant. When Mercedes looked closer, she realized she had made a big mistake.

The hair and eyes were different – both were obsidian black, and the shade of her skin was at least a few shades lighter than the twins' dark tanned skin. The girl wore a loose white T-shirt and pink shorts with black leggings and black sneakers. Her left arm was wrapped with bandages for a reason – and the sight gave Mercedes shivers as it reminded her of the eerily similar situation in the past.

"Care to tell me who is _that_?!" Mercedes said through her gritted teeth. Sylvidia was giving the duo suspicious looks, as best as it could. Phantom approached them first and the girl followed, yawning. It was obvious the girl was tired.

Once they were face to face, Phantom cleared his throat. "Mercedes, the Elf Queen – Lea Stellar, information broker." Said Phantom, when he mentioned their names, the two girls nodded.

The two girls greeted each other with a wave and a forced smile.

"Okay…Phantom, explain why do I have to meet her." Mercedes pointed accusingly at Lea. The not-really-Aran muttered evenly, "Fair question."

Phantom was smooth with his words. "You two will work together in the future!"

"For?" The elf was incredulous – what on earth did Phantom drink?

"Lots of things," said Lea, and she looked as if she didn't care. Mercedes raised an eyebrow, it was either an answer to her verbal question or both verbal and non-verbal questions. "you guys are looking for somebody, right?"

"Aran is their name!" snapped Mercedes. Lea waved it away.

"I didn't even know there were two of them – much less, know them personally." Lea let out another long yawn and sat down on the grass while Mercedes remained standing.

Phantom grimaced under Mercedes's accusing glare. "Mercedes – she's our ally." But Mercedes was still unconvinced.

"Prove it." Mercedes caught Lea's glint and smug smirk. The latter closed her eyes lazily and flicked a finger at Mercedes. Mercedes heard the wind's calling and they readily aid the young girl, forming a twofold barrier, surrounding at least 3 km radius of this area as Lea acting as the central point.

 _Bounded Field_ – the elf thought – it was weak, but still strong enough to serve its purpose. The trees, bushes and grass rustled as monsters that were roaming in this area, retreated to a safer place and the old man shouted in surprise, "WHAT IN THE WORLD?!" Phantom whistled.

And the old tailor came out, disgruntled and had Mercedes's battle blouse in his hands, along with a thin thread with the needle. He pointed the needle at Mercedes, opening his mouth to ask, and then realized he had company and looked at the sleeping girl and the master thief.

"Did you do it?" He asked Phantom and Lea. Lea raised her hand, eyes still close. When he looked at the girl, his hard eyes soften a fraction and his hands continued the work before turning his back onto them, mutterings that were lost to the wind.

Fortunately, Mercedes didn't have to explain much – but she needed some explanations. The interaction between the old man and the young girl told her a little.

Lea opened her right eye, still with that smug smirk on her face. "Happy?"

Mercedes could only nod while her flying friend neighed, almost similar to laughter. "She caught you!" Sylvidia spoke; its voice was one of a female, soft-spoken. Phantom had a poker face on – plus, his mask shadowed the upper half of his face.

"Not that I can complain," Phantom remarked. "I didn't know you can do that, can't you teach Evan about it? And Mir."

Lea scratched the side of her neck, looking thoughtful for once. "I guess, but don't dump the whole work on me – I can see he has made a huge progress, even if he doesn't notice or knows it."

Mercedes looked at Lea, then at Phantom before rolling her eyes to the heavens. She is officially lost.

The elf made a mental note to strangle Phantom when she has the chance – a friend/fan of his or not, she cannot deny Phantom is one hell of annoyance. _A big one_ , Mercedes added sourly.

...

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 **A/N: Confused? Wait for the next chapter. The time skip was on purpose, and I intend to explain it later.**

 **To Samjok-o: I will, but it will take time for me to update for I do occasionally get writer's block. I hope you did enjoy Mercedes's sort of POV.**


	13. Chapter 12 One month

**A/N: This is a long chapter - and this chapter consists of mini-stories of the one month time skip. I hope you enjoy it. R &R.**

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 **Chapter cover:** A white armband with the Roman initials of VI, lay forgotten on the concrete ground with a spotlight shining on it.

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 **12.1 Milk?**

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 **Location: Unknown, 10 000 feet above ground  
Date: 11/9/ X643**

"Eleventh huh…" Lea muttered to herself, the wind whipped her hair and face as she stood on the deck of Lumiere. She is a good airship – Lea admitted it silently to herself.

Lea has a blue scarf wrapped around her neck, personally supplied by Phantom and the clothes she wore were a blue cardigan, underneath it was a red T-shirt while the bottom half of her body was a loose jeans, held up with a belt – tailored especially for her by Phantom's maids.

And her feet are bare; she preferred to feel the cool surface of the wood on the deck and had left her shoes and socks beside the only entrance and exit to the deck of the airship.

Travels are common to Lea Stellar, especially when she has a mission with her squad. Fortunately or unfortunately, these days, there are no missions, which worried the squad leader.

A thought came to her mind – and she frowned – the 11th day reminded her of a tarot card – Justice.

Is Justice fair? Lea didn't know – because every judgment has its own sacrifice. Time…money…sometimes even the living.

All for the sake of digging up buried truths and breaking through deceits.

Lea patted her bandaged left arm. It was sore, but the nerves aren't frayed to the point she couldn't move them. The aftereffects of using her blood's ability…if it weren't for Phantom, she would be a wasting patient, lying on the bed, continuous bleeding and recovery...until her body went cold and rigid.

"Couldn't sleep?" A voice said, it sounded tired and old, but sharp. At the corner of her eye, she spotted the old butler and nodded in acknowledgement. There were dark circles around his eyes; even the monocle on his right eye couldn't hide it.

Like all servants, he wore smartly, except on his left breast was pinned with a badge – shaped like the raven mask of Phantom's fancy hat, which the butler wore with pride. At first glance, Lea thought the butler wore the exact same gloves as Phantom, but when she looked closely, the gloves are actually plain – pure white.

The butler was old, his white hair, and eyebrows, and his moustache – although faint, there was a little brown – and his wrinkled face told Lea.

"My apologies, my name is Gaston," the butler introduced himself, bowing in courtesy. His body is lean.

Lea hesitated for a moment before returning the bow.

"Thank you for taking care of me," Lea didn't raise her head yet and Gaston chuckled lightly.

"It shouldn't be me who you should thank, but our herbalist – Marguerite. She had a hard time because she refused to sleep; it is because of her dedication to help you made her like that."

Lea knew the butler didn't mean to accuse her, but her heart stung. "I apologize."

"Lift your head, child – we choose to obey our master." Gaston said kindly. Lea lifted her head and couldn't help, but reply cheekily, "Is your master a child too?"

The moustache twitched as the devoted butler gave her a small smile. "Yes.".

The butler stood beside her, loosening his dark blue scarf before he looked at the puffy clouds, and then at the crescent moon.

"It's a beautiful night." Said Gaston. Lea blinked at the old butler unsure what to say.

"It will be a pity if we sleep through this beautiful night."

Lea grunted in agreement, and did not say anything except gripping the cool railings tightly as the ship began to pick up speed.

Silence came, and lasted for minutes.

"I will head to bed now. Good night, Lea." The butler said before turning away from the child, who was still perplexed and figuring out Gaston's hidden intentions. She knew it wasn't a romantic gesture, but was he trying to be friends with her?

Was it under Phantom's orders or his will?

XXX

Once she felt she has enough fresh air, she entered the inside of the airship.

Lea spent most of the night exploring the airship, and familiarized the layouts herself. It took her two hours to remember each and every room, including the five suspicious guest rooms which include hers. Each of the guest rooms has the same furniture, and layout.

And they were at least one corridor apart.

The young girl entered a training room, inside were the monsters, slimes – sleeping.

She shut the door quietly, and bumped into one of the maids on night shift – unlike Gaston, their eyes were sharp and alert. Their eyes sent shivers down to Lea's spine. It reminded her of several watchdogs back at the main house of her family.

Unlike the maids, the watchdogs in the main house have dangerous weapons, to hack or shoot down the intruders – she had a taste of their abilities and was almost killed if it weren't for her previous squad leader to save her.

Lea stepped aside to allow the maid to pass through, but the maid stood there, head tilted to one side, the soft glow of the lamplight in her hands illuminated her face in a scary way.

They were both waiting for each other to pass, carefully observing each other, and breathing – structure of face, even the small habits like fidgeting.

Finally the maid broke the silence, the black curls of her hair stood out from her apron. "How may I help you?"

If Lea said _nothing_ , it would be rude. "I was wondering if you could guide me around," In her mind, she added, _'Although I already memorized the place…'_

The maid finally smiled, it was a soft one. "Certainly, madam." She turned back, holding the lamplight front first and walked without looking back. Lea had to jog to keep up.

It has been a long time since she was called _madam_.

For a reason, the maid led her to the kitchen – and Lea didn't mind.

"Hot milk?"

Lea nodded and the maid went and opened a fridge, taking out a carton of milk and took one of the hanging pots. "Sit, at the dining room."

Lea obeyed. Well, milk is good for growing…

And for insomnia too.

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 **12.2 The Petty Thief**

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Three days later, Lea had an unpleasant surprise.

Lea was swinging a wooden sword, with both hands in a training room, with beads of sweat forming on her forehead when the call arrived. Phantom was sitting in the corner, watching her, as her muscle recalled the years of training.

"LEA!" and the girl turned around in time to get knocked down by a farmer boy, also known as a hardworking and gullible Dragon Master. His arms were around her waist and Lea tried her very best not to cringe from the contact, and patted his back once.

Lea glanced at Phantom who was definitely laughing – laughing at her face. She used her thumb and gestured at Phantom to prepare for death.

"Hey, Evan. If you don't mind, please let go of me."

Evan released her immediately and grinned. "So you met Phantom already?! Oops, that's a stupid question – sorry." He scratched the back of his neck.

Freaking innocent, damn innocent of Evan.

Lea averted her eyes away from Evan and approached Phantom who was doing some complicated maneuvers with his cane. Phantom grinned and swung his cane at Lea's direction.

"Evan, Lea will be helping you in your studies too!"

Lea glared at the thief. Phantom has an innocent expression, and the glint in his eyes – she should see this coming. Lea sighed and scratched the floor with the tip of her sneakers before she lunged at Evan.

Unprepared, Evan was palmed to his stomach and was pushed back. The dragon is huge, but small enough to enter Lumiere and one of its larger training rooms.

Phantom whistled, and continued his personal training.

"Prepare yourself, Evan."

Evan could only nod while his dragon growled, its horns glowed as the mana swirled inside the medium.

XXX

"Show me what you got –" Lea jerked her thumb to the dummy targets. The dragon's name is Mir – from what she heard from Phantom. When she thought the dragon isn't looking, she glanced at its onyx scales – it is beautiful, and yet, deadly.

Unfortunately, the dragon will ultimately will be the last of its kind – that is the future she foresaw in the Temple of Time.

Unless…

WHAM! WHAM!

There were two holes on the dummy, until the wall behind it was blacken. Phantom looked furious at the corner of her eye.

Lea clapped her hands and replaced the dummy. Evan used another magic – this time ice, and the dummy was encased in ice. They repeated the process for two hours – each with a different combination of buffs and magic.

Evan did every magic he could do with Mir and Lea felt proud. She always knew Evan has the magical potential, but never have the chance to use it – until he found Mir's egg.

It's strange to her, to think she instinctively knew about it. It's as if she has a past memory…

She shook the thought out of head – now's not the time. She felt the arms of her hair stand and her magical senses tingling.

Lea smoothly rolled over to the other side, narrowly avoiding the hazard and she dusted herself when she got up. Evan's jaw dropped and Lea used her right eye's ability to read the mana.

The source is…

Lea's head snapped to Phantom's direction, its red ruby was glowing, stored with mana.

"I thought you would go insane if you use your right eye…" said Phantom, looking thoughtful.

Was that payback?! How petty of Phantom!

Lea snarled like a wild animal. "That's only if I use my blood, and it's my last resort – so screw off."

The thief and the young girl never spoke about the matter after that.

On the same day, Lea sensed a second heartbeat inside her; it was beating the same time as hers. Except the heart…never exist physically – another source of mana is established.

The connection between the Black Mage and her is becoming more concentrated – Lea's expression turned grim.

And the nightmares became worse.

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 **12.3 I told you so!**

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 **Date: 15/9/ X643**

Lea was having one of those fitful nightmares when her almost out of battery phone rang.

" _Let's drive them crazy, we'll overrun the point of no return, I know-_ "

Her eyes snapped open and she got up quickly, her legs tangling with the blankets as she did so and fell to the carpeted mat ungracefully.

She couldn't care less about her appearance and with a goal in her mind – get to her duffle bag. She crawled towards her duffle bag like a baby – and if she was conscious enough, she would have the sense to stand up and walk properly.

Still feeling dizzy, Lea dug her duffle bag and managed to have a grip onto the small metal object and flipped the phone open.

She pulled the phone out of the duffel bag, still ringing and vibrating in her hands. She swore once – something her late father would be proud of – before pressing the call button and placed it on her ear, now slightly alert, but with a mild headache.

"Hello?" said Lea professionally, erasing the sleep from her voice. She will kill whoever's on the other end of the line.

"Thank the Transcendents you're fine! Where the bloody hell are you?" came her older brother's voice – a worrywart. Lea chuckled and her killing intent was lessened, by a small margin.

"You wouldn't believe this."

"Oh?" There was a tone of disbelief in his voice, "Try me."

Lea raised an eyebrow, rearranging her blanket so it draped around her. " _Lumiere_ , Phantom's airship."

There was a sound of spewing on the other end and a shout of outrage.

"Told you so." Lea muttered, and ended the call. She made a mental note to train her older brother to keep an open mind and throw away preconceptions.

"Stupid Jake. What a peaceful life I have." She added sarcastically. "It's already my fifth day in the air, awake. And I can't go back to sleep. Damn you Jake."

The airship was shaking, and it is noisy as the rain hit the airships like bullets.

Any amount of rain is enough to bother the child.

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 **12.4 Justice and Star**

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 **Date: 17/9/ X643  
Time: 06:09:13**

Phantom and Lea were sparing for a good long thirty minutes when Gaston interrupted their dance. He bowed at them with practice and patience integrated in it and they returned the favour, except Phantom's was a small nod.

"It's just as you guessed Lea," Gaston began before handing the piece of paper he received from the intelligence deck. Lea took it and scanned the words, she flipped it around and stared at the blueprint, and placed her finger on a place which looked suspiciously where most of the energy – the minerals of Edelstein mine went to.

Even she never went that far, his hackers are crazy.

She should never, ever get on Collete's or Christiane's bad side – oh, and the maids too.

One should never mess a maid unless he or she is willing to pay a nasty price.

Phantom ruffled her hair and Lea grimaced – she can sense Phantom's intent for revenge.

Gaston gave her a sidelong glance, he was expecting her to stop him, instead, Lea just turned around, using her right leg as the pivot and muttered, "If you get into trouble, don't look for me."

Phantom smiled. "I won't."

Lea pretended she didn't hear that.

XXX

Approximately three hours after Phantom left Lumiere, Lea felt a pounding on the back of the head coming as Gaston repeated his request for the umpteenth time.

The fact Gaston lost contact with his master suddenly sent him into a panic mood – and it's not a territory Lea is unfamiliar with.

"I beg you, please, save Phantom from walking on the path of revenge." Gaston pleaded again, his head almost touching to the ground as he bowed deeply in front of Lea, who was about to infuse the wooden sword with her mana for her daily routine, but the plead is distracting.

Lea gave him a cold look. "I can't stop him, but if he is aware of the thorny, and bloody path he is walking – and refuses to step aside, I don't have the rights to ask him to jump aside or walk backwards – can I?"

"Besides, call Evan – he can help." She suggested as the image of the farmer boy came to her mind. She was confident enough Evan can handle the case.

Gaston shook his head. "You know as well as I do, we cannot." Lea sighed and leaned against her wooden sword. She missed her weapons, _Etsu_ and _Mraku_. They may be heavier than the wooden sword she carried now, but their familiar weight is reassuring.

She understands their concerns – if she looked at it realistically, Evan is not ready for stealth missions.

"Fine. I did say _only_ to Phantom not to ask for my help. Also – don't expect my help for free."

Gaston raised his head and his moustache twitched as he smiled. "Good business as usual."

"Let's hope it doesn't go under." Lea replied rather dryly. Gaston could only nod seriously.

XXX

 **Location: The royal garden, Ereve  
Time: 20:05:04**

Lea pulled on fingerless gloves and gripped her only dagger, still unsheathed – as she ducked underneath one of the glided pillars of Ereve. She sensed she was close to the Empress of the Maple World, but something is missing.

There were no guards – nobody to stop her, which worried the veteran child. Lea closed her eyes and used her enhanced her senses, especially hearing with her mana using reinforcement.

There were voices, it sounded close. There were two breathings – one seems completely normal and excited while the other is nervous, and afraid. Lea sneaked closer to the breathing, now able to hear their conversation, which was one-sided.

"Thank you for taking Evan under your wing, although it was through a letter. Neinheart was angry about it though, because we never really met face-to-face other than the…incident few months back."

Lea used the chance to approach closer until they are at her sight. Her heart was pumping blood furiously, so hard and so loud that she thought it would burst right out from her chest. Her grip on the hilt was slippery with sweat.

"I will call for some tea so stay right here, I will be back." Said the Empress cheerily and Lea heard some noises, suspiciously sounded like some straw sandals against cement. Without a doubt, that was the Empress's movements.

Lea peeked above the bushes and let out a soft sigh of relief. The Empress is fine now – clear of all worries and stress.

The Empress Cygnus wore her usual simple, royal dress, not much jewelry except for her necklace and the hair pin and she was smiling happily – eager to meet the famous Phantom thief.

In contrast to the Empress's aura, the veteran felt a scary vibe from _him_ – it was sickening, murderous and angry. Lea facepalmed so hard that it echoed and alerted the Empress who turned around, with a puzzled expression.

On reflex, Lea ducked when she shouldn't.

 _That idiot!_

All the more reasons to help the stupid thief – she better have a good pay for doing this job.

"Is somebody there?" The Empress called out.

Lea's blood froze – or felt like it. She swore she heard her alter ego laughed at her mistake, even slapping its own knee for a good measure.

The veteran directed the reinforcement to the unsheathed dagger and steadied her breathing, synchronizing with Phantom's pale ones. She was careful not to move any inch of her body, even when the Empress's eyes settled on the bushes where she was hiding.

Her job is simple, knock the senses into the stupid thief and run before she gets caught by anyone – and preferably not Neinheart and the Cygnus Knights.

A breeze came and whispered in her ears _. 'Not yet, not yet…'_ said the voices.

Lea gritted her teeth; she has to obey the spirits of nature.

As if a switch has been flipped, Phantom charged, swinging his cane in a deadly arc as a pseudo sword point was formed at the tip of his cane.

' _NOW!'_ The two voices of the spirits of nature and the wrym mingled with each other.

Lea somersaulted out of the bushes and in midair, unsheathed her dagger and clashed against Phantom's cane. Sparks flew as their weapons grated each other. Lea was using almost all her force, but Phantom's strength pushed her back. It was expected she would be pushed back, but unexpected that Phantom would be ruthless in his attacks.

The veteran and the thief deflected attacks, or dodged them, mana or no mana. However, Lea deflected them as she has to protect the Empress from further harm. If Phantom was any stronger, she would've resorted to her _Imaginary Elements_.

For her, it was _time_ and _chaos_.

Lea slashed the air and Phantom aimed for her shoulder, but she rolled out of the way and quickly used her new surroundings to her advantage such as softening the earth enough underneath Phantom's feet to turn into quicksand. However, Phantom jumped away and threw one of the throwing stars using a thief skill he stole. The four shurikens glowed orange from Phantom's mana. Lea swiped them away, causing her right hand to bleed profusely as they dissipated.

Lea said nothing, but grunted or winced as the flesh knitted itself back together. She risked a backward glance. The Empress was supposed to run, but she hasn't – even if Lea bought her ample time.

Instead, she was far from behind her, now hiding among the shadows of the tall trees in Ereve, and watching their dance.

If only her Bishop brother is here now, it would help.

Lea created a triple point barrier when they were fighting using her feet. It wasn't easy because she has to use her remaining mana jewels, hidden underneath her sleeves of her T-shirt.

The barrier is only temporary though, the moment the possessed Phantom realized the hidden points of it, and it would be broken through.

But for now it served its purpose, Phantom used his cards as an explosive, and it met the barrier head one. There was a confused expression on Phantom's face, finally a switch from his stoic ones. It was strange though, Phantom normally has a smile on his face – even if he was perspiring like crazy.

And the veteran herself did not know she was smiling throughout the battle.

…

* * *

…

The Empress Cygnus was confused, why would the Phantom thief attack her?

Her question was answered by the voices of her predecessors, ' _There is something evil inside him, we can purge it, but the spirit is on guard against us._ '

' _Who is she?_ '

This time, a stronger, voice answered. If Cygnus were to describe the voice, it was gentle, but has an authority tone behind it. ' _Our ally. Your ally, Cygnus. You should worry for her more than yourself – child. She has been walking for so long, fighting for our survival sakes and fulfilling her oath she made with me._ '

' _Oath?_ ' asked Cygnus, watching the beautiful dance between the two fighters. The girl has a smile on her face even when fighting. Even with a slightly bloodied dagger – whose she couldn't tell – the girl fought as if she was born for this moment.

The One-Eyed Owl…could it be?

' _She is the person who crowned me Empress, her names were lost in time, even the Dimensional Library does not have it anymore, and her name in this life too, will be lost or should I say…erase from the history._ '

' _Why? And how do you all this?!_ ' Cygnus asked, half-screaming in her mind.

' _I am Empress Ereve – the first Empress of the Maple World. She can't hear us…no…she can hear us earlier, but the sounds of battle are ruining our connection between us._ '

' _She can hear you?_ ' Cygnus's jaw opened at the sight of the girl's flesh knitting itself together.

Suddenly, there was a sound of glass being shattered; it was the first time Cygnus hears a barrier shatter. Then, a scream as if the soul was struck down. It was the girl's scream, it sounded as if she was in pain, but she endured it and relentlessly fought back.

' _She is my knight, and of course, at the same time, my old friend…_ ' Memories of the past flashed before the current Empress's eyes. She felt as if a three ton truck had struck her head and Cygnus was on her knees, a hand on her head.

An image came to her mind.

A flowing purple cape, snow white haired, but instead of a ponytail, it was let down and it settled on her shoulder blade. There was something strange about her posture, until Cygnus realized it was a flying companion on her right shoulder. The sunset made the white hair burned red – it was a beautiful memory.

Then, it was gone.

Cygnus blinked, trying to get her bearings right, and she noticed there was no sounds of battle. Instead, the girl was comforting Phantom with low voices.

"I'm fine now…" said Phantom weakly. He was looking past the girl, behind her was Aria.

Empress Aria.

They looked almost the same except her hair was straight instead of wavy.

' _I knew Aria's feelings for Phantom would come through…_ ' said one of the spirits of the Empresses.

The girl chuckled and followed his gaze, a gasp escaped from her lips.

The spirit of Aria smiled at them and Phantom approached her with teary eyes.

"Thank you…child of twilight." Said Aria. Even when she opened her mouth, there was some echo in _it_. It was as if reminding the living she is dead, a point of no return.

The child of twilight scratched her cheek, looking embarrassed. Come to think of it, the girl had not uttered a word since her appearance. Cygnus came out from the hiding, and the child of twilight turned around and their eyes met.

Obsidian black against the pale blue.

"One...eyed owl?" Cygnus asked half-shouting, holding up her robes so she could run towards the Owl. The child of twilight could only stare at her and wait for her as she caught her breath from running.

"Yes." There was kindness underneath that monotone voice, even her eyes were glinting. "Let's give Phantom some space, shall we?"

The Empress could only nod as they distanced themselves respectfully from Phantom thief who looked sadly at his beloved. Once they were off the path, Lea wiped the blood on the grass – which was stained red. She looked pained and exhausted, pain from what?

The silence was heavy and Cygnus looked at her tired companion. The girl didn't look older than fifteen, and yet she fought well against Phantom. Even the new recruits wouldn't last a second against the Hero.

"Why did you scream?" asked Cygnus after a long silence. The girl looked up and shrugged. The Empress's eyes went to the girl's left, heavily bandaged arm. But earlier in battle, it could move everywhere – what is she hiding underneath?

The girl didn't answer immediately as she retied her loose bandage with her teeth and her right hand.

"Have you been taught the principle of magic? Every reaction has an opposite and equal reaction. You really should ask your Knights…Empress." Said her companion tiredly, looking lazily at Cygnus.

The Empress raised her hand. "Please, call me Cygnus." The child of twilight's eyes widened for a fraction, then a nod.

"Ah, what should I call you? 'Child of Twilight' is a bit long isn't it?" Cygnus clapped once as she said it.

"As long as you promise not to chase me down." Her new friend trailed off, looking at the clear blue sky, no fluffy clouds at all.

To the girls, it was a good sign, promises, absolutions…and new beginnings.

Cygnus held out her pinky finger. "I promise."

Her companion leaned in and whispered her name in her ear.

.

.

.

* * *

 **12.5 Imaginary Lessons**

* * *

.

.

.

 **Date: 19/9/ X643**

"Lea, why do some people can use _Imaginary Elements_?" asked Evan one day when they were both on their lunch break. Mir was chewing through the bones and meat of the turkey, crunching the bone. Once done, it swiped another one.

The girl in question and the Phantom thief exchanged looks. They changed their clothes because it was too sticky from their earlier sparing.

Lea opted for a black singlet and a track bottoms which has a single red strip at its sides while Phantom, surprisingly chose a plain T-shirt and brown slacks, still with his fancy ass gloves and hat.

They were sitting on their own chairs in the training room, eating their lunch, except for Mir as it was too tiresome to move their aching bodies to the dining room. There was a food cart nearby, personally delivered by Gaston.

" _I tried_." Said the purple eyes. Phantom cut a portion of the delicate roasted pork with his knife and fork.

" _What a lousy teacher you are._ " Replied the obsidians and Lea snapped her fingers.

"Evan, you are already using one actually." She said just in time for Evan to spew his coffee all over the white tablecloth when he heard that. Phantom merely raised his eyebrows at Lea's statement.

They both waited for Evan to recover himself. Phantom was still chewing the meat while Lea stirred her mushroom soup – it's so good.

"Compliments to the chef." Lea muttered and Phantom nodded.

Evan asked once he was finished cleaning. "What kind?"

"All magicians – especially those under Grendal, must have learned to use the space to their will – although yours is self-taught." Lea said, before dunking a garlic bread into it. "But it's so common these days; it is sometimes debunked as not an _imaginary element_. Some people are stupid – it is still an imaginary element, whether they liked it or not. It is not easy to set up a portal, to anywhere – even with the current technology we have."

Lea licked her fingers clean from the mushroom soup and bread crumbs. "Phantom, you owe me. And I thought you said Koli will be here today."

Phantom pouted. "He hates _Lumiere_." And the thief did a dramatic sniff. Lea facepalmed while Evan watched the interesting twist of events.

"Everybody hates _her_. She's too fine, a good vessel. Plus, we already exchanged information – I don't see any reason why I should stick around."

"I can hire you." Phantom said. It was clear he was not going to let her go.

"Like you did with Koli the mercenary? I have other duties to attend to other than teaching Evan, and accompanying you and the…people in _Lumiere_."

"Fine, let's have a deal shall we? Weekends off, the pay depends on how well you do your job."

Lea sneered at Phantom. "Starting price?"

"1 million mesos."

Evan's eyes were bulging out of their sockets at the casual offer. Even Mir stopped eating and tilted its head.

Lea shook her head. "Cheapskate. Add another half. Oh, and add some bonus too!"

" _Bonus?_ " Phantom asked, eyes narrowed with suspicion. He has the nerve to keep smiling.

"I get my free days off whenever I want – anytime, anyplace. Of course, if you can become _our_ sponsor for my _squad_ , let us do whatever shit we like. We won't be at your beck and call though."

" _Squad?_ " said Evan in disbelief. "Did you mean the school?"

"Not the school! My personal squad, the sixth squad of the Stellar clan – pretty nice, eh?"

"SO COOL!" Evan was positively beaming. Lea made a gun gesture at Evan.

"You're the _leader?!_ " Phantom looked calm when he said that. "How can that be missed by my Intelligence Deck?"

"'cause I am the unofficial leader – every squad has its own leader, but it changes every time. For example, if one of the squad members of the sixth squad – accepted a mission and called for our help, _he_ or _she_ will be the leader of the mission. And we don't use technology for that."

Phantom considered the offer. "Nice. I will be your squad's sponsor then. I'm filthy rich after all."

"We will make sure to use every penny of your stash."

Phantom grinned at the challenge. "You won't even use half of it."

"1.5?"

"1.5 million mesos with weekends off and you can have your free days anytime, anywhere – except when we are engaging with our enemies." Phantom offered an ungloved hand to Lea. Lea took it and shook it.

Lea turned to the Dragon Master and grinned evilly at him. "Review today's negotiation with a paragraph."

Evan let out a silent scream and Phantom gave her a knowing smirk. "I thought you would do that."

Lea gave him an innocent look. "That way, Evan will never forget he's the witness!" Deadpanned Lea.

"Evil." Phantom shook his head. "How sly you are."

"Thank you."

…

* * *

…

Meanwhile, Koli was waiting outside his makeshift shelter with a scowl on his face. It is their rendezvous point – for today.

Unfortunately, Phantom had forgotten to pick him up until the next day which earned the thief a nice punch to the face once they were onboard.

.

.

.

* * *

 **12.6 Illusions of Choices, Second move, Black Knight**

* * *

.

.

.

 **Date: 30/9/ X643**

Lea charged her flip-phone. It was dead for five days straight as she barely had time to get on land and rushed into one of the electrical shops and paid for it.

She sent a quick text to her squad mates – their meeting point? Kerning City.

"I'm going off." Lea announced to the butler, Gaston and Phantom. They were just above Victoria Island, as per her request. Phantom raised an eyebrow at Lea's clothes.

"Are you sure you want to go like _that_?"

Lea looked down. She was just wearing a zipped up tiger-striped jacket and jeans – just a casual outfit.

"Do you have a problem with it or something?"

"It's just so…plain." Phantom muttered bluntly and his butler elbowed him for being rude. She mouthed the butler her thanks and distanced herself from them as Phantom prepared his forced teleportation.

She made sure to leave her phone behind as it was useless and Phantom sent her down with a card of his. And the black and purple mana enveloped her, and took her down, with thousands of cards blocking her vision.

She closed her eyes during the journey down and Phantom directed his teleportation magic to one of the taller cranes of Kerning City so she could look down at the lives of Kerning City. Almost instantly, two or three assassins under the eighth Dark Lord, Jin.

"Who are you?" One of them asked, her voice muffled by the face mask.

Lea sighed and scratched her cheek. "A friend – I won't fight you, and I admit, I have a flashy job of showing up. If it worries you so much, take me to him then."

The assassins had a silent conversation with their eyes, and with much consideration, they decided not to and wished her well before leaving her alone. Partly because they knew a real enemy wouldn't suggest meeting with the Thief Job Instructor of Victoria Island.

…

* * *

…

The Bishop arrived a few minutes earlier than the Rook. He entered the city without much trouble, and rearranged his red beanie he bought beforehand to blend in with the people.

Thank god he doesn't have to do his research today – or else he wouldn't make it for the sudden meeting.

Several people gasped when they saw a tornado of cards spiraled downwards, glowing orange and it disappeared along with as it has done its job. From here, he could see a lone figure, standing tall, but quickly surrounded by three people.

The loner meant no harm and the three people jumped off to the buildings and relayed the news. At the same time, the loner merely stood there, looking over the city and the morning sun which was beginning to rise.

Jake sensed another two different spots where teleportation magic was used. One west of the loner, another just the east of him. For a high-class mage as him, it was easy to pick out the mana source and followed the trail he wanted to trail.

As soon as he moved, he spotted the two familiar faces and smiled at them. "Yo, Crow and Kuan." The two aforementioned names turned around and smiled when they recognized the bishop.

Crow is his little brother, only thirteen years old, but already recruited by the Silent Crusade. He had a long red scarf, which was wrapped around his neck. Like his name, even the colour of his clothes were black, except for his the red crow insignia on his gloves.

Even though they are siblings, Crow inherited red-flame hair colour – a demon heritance from their mother while Lea and Jake have their mother's human hair colour, which is jet-black though Jake has a little brown highlights from their father.

Crow's hair was short, and spikier than Jake's. He gave the older brother a knowing smirk.

Crow has almond-shaped ink-black eyes, harsh and cold due to them forcing to mature fast. Unlike Lea's, there was no light in them – no hope. Which made Jake think twice about who is the one was tortured before. Since his little brother has more demon blood in his veins, his skin is twice paler than Jake's – which is something.

Even now, he stood out among the crowd, gaining whispers and stares from normal humans.

His partner, Kuan Stellar, is an albino girl. Her skin paleness was on par with Crow's, but her hair was whiter than their skins combined – with two twin bows hanging by her side – and like all albinos, she has crimson red eyes which sparkled with amusement.

Even though she looked like an eight year old child, her actual age is twenty. It may sound stupid, but no eight years old has old eyes like hers, and with wisdom that comes with age – _questionable_ wisdom, Jake added mentally.

Her clothes consisted of frilly dresses, a wonder to Jake on how they don't tangle with anything when she fights. Unlike her previous dress, it was lacy, but not too revealing to be inappropriate.

If Jake was honest to himself, it looked as if she was ready to party – especially with the mascara on.

"Piggyback ride!" Kuan spread her arms, giving Jake a puppy look. Her voice was like a young child too with a hint of crafty intelligence underlying.

Crap – he's the target for today. But who could resist those eyes?

"Sure!" Jake agreed cheerily and scooped her into his arms, and Kuan giggled and poked his nose.

"Great, you're all here!" A familiar voice called out and the trio stared at their incognito leader who as usual, has a stoic mask on. It was frustrating to Jake – she used to show so much emotion, and now, it's as if Lea was a statue, a moving statue. Behind her was the golden boy.

Due to him looking androgynous – if Jake didn't know him well enough, he would have mistaken him as a girl with those soft cheeks, even if his hair was as short as Crow's.

He looked grumpy, and his hair was naturally bed hair – and blonde. His clothes were all rumpled, even if they looked clean. Even his beanie was turned inside out – was he that tired to make a silly mistake?

The golden boy blinked his baby blue eyes lazily at them – like a lion.

Everybody in the group except for Kuan and Crow wore casual clothes, as to not stand out among the crowd.

Crow gave her a curt nod tapping the sheath of his sword while Kuan giggled and jumped down from Jake's arms, the high heels hit the ground with a loud thud. "Smile."

Lea forced one and was wiped off just as quickly as it came.

XXX

They sat together in a private room in a seafood restaurant. Who could blame them for being hungry?

The restaurant has the reputation of delicious food, even if the insides weren't too bright. There was a curtain to tug, so they will have privacy, but for now, their incognito leader chose to leave it open, allowing her to peek outside the dusty window as they waited for their food.

Neither of them spoke about the missions, but how was their everyday life.

Kuan complained about Neinheart – too much for Jake's eardrums while Crow was busy contemplating about something. Lea, on the other hand, spoke about the Dragon Master's training and her interactions with the two boys, one whom she is living under the same…airship.

The golden boy sat there, listening to them like Jake, who was only observing Lea, who looked as if she was on another plane of existence.

Then, the food came and they ate – still talking, ignoring table manners at its finest.

Upon locking the door – they made sure there was a click – and tugging the curtains close, trapping them in the darkness which was temporary as Jake summoned a ball of golden light which danced around the room, illuminating part of the room – especially their table.

"By the way, I managed to convince Phantom to be our squad sponsor," But she was interrupted with a cheer.

"YAY!" Cheered Kuan.

"How?" asked Crow, peeling his prawns with ungloved hands. His broadsword was at the corner where he could keep an eye on it.

"Please, I'm me." Lea stuck her tongue out at Crow who hmped in response, twisting the tail apart.

"That's not the reason why you called us out here," Lyon said coolly, still haven't touched his food. "If you're willing to risk a text message where it could be intercepted anytime – I expected more from you… _alpha_."

His gaze was sharp, like a hunter about to bounce onto his prey.

"That's right," Lea spun the fork at him; her right hand popped an index finger. "It's our turn – Lyon, you should know what to do by now."

Lyon shrugged and cracked his fingers. "Search for the Transcendent of Life?"

Cutleries clattered to their respective plates in shock. Crow and Kuan had an incredulous look on their faces.

"That's what you want _him_ to do?! Are you crazy?!" Jake exclaimed, equally shocked. "How can you trust _him_ so easily?"

Lea gave him an evil eye. "You pay the bills Jake."

That was a dangerous tone and Jake knew better than to question her moves.

"Why now?" Crow asked, there was no trace of shock in his voice, instead it was curiosity.

Lea drank her orange juice instead of answering and they knew the matter was dropped.

Kuan tugged Jake's shirt and shook her head and the bishop reluctantly obeyed.

They resumed eating after that.

Did they even have a choice?

...

* * *

 **A/N: Any questions? Leave a review!**


	14. Chapter 13 Three of Spades

**A/N: Gonna reply to a review.  
**

 **To Samjok-o: Expect a lot of OC's. It will be difficult for you to remember all of them, but they will have an appearance in future chapters - relating to...*can't spoil*  
**

* * *

 **Chapter cover** : Gaston and Phantom talking to each other in the airship, _Lumiere,_ the first readjusting the monocle while the latter gestured his gloved hands. In the background, several maids with identical dresses running with a cleaning kit in hand. One unfortunate maid had tried to catch her falling kit with a panicked look.

* * *

...

 **Date: 25/10/ X643**

Phantom was fanning himself as he watched the one-sided match. It is the fifth time for the day, and the fiftieth time for the unarmed sparring match – and Evan is losing again, thought the thief as he watched Evan failed to guard her kicks. Nearby, was the Onyx dragon, Mir, who was cheering, but snapped its teeth shut when Evan suffered a…painful blow.

Lea did a low kick and Evan collapsed from the blow, clutching his leg as he fell on his back. Phantom knew Evan's right leg has faced the full-blown force of the low kicks several times this match, and it was amazing Evan managed to endure them all.

Until now.

"…Evan, you may be physically strong, but you are seriously weak in it." Lea stated as she retape her fingers, and glanced at Evan, who was wearing lighter clothing for unarmed combat, sweating buckets as he lay on the floor, facing the ceiling.

"You should go easy on him – you kept going at him as if he was an enemy," Phantom said, then lowered his voice to the point Mir couldn't hear it. "Good job controlling your bloodlust."

Lea heard the last sentence and she frowned at him, placing her taped hands on her hips.

It is a surprise – since when Lea has animal senses?

"I heard that mister," Phantom felt hurt and Lea wasn't done yet. "old, shorty, fancypants."

Phantom can imagine Luminous handing a trophy to the girl right then and there with pink confetti thrown in the air.

"Did you just degrade me to old?"

Lea looked really sweet there – poisonous sweet, especially with that smile. Thank god Aran never did that sort of expression. It looked really dangerous…and sinister.

The smile came and went – and Phantom let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

She shrugged his question casually aside and helped Evan up. The Dragon Master leaned heavily onto the girl and with great effort, the mentor guided him to one of the empty chairs and he slumped onto the chair with a groan gratefully.

Lea exchanged a look with Phantom and he nodded. He understood what she wanted from him and with a brief wink, they began their act.

The girl pulled her the collar of her shirt and sniffed it and made a face – it doesn't look as if she was acting. "I'm going to change." She announced and left the training room, leaving the thief alone with a groaning Dragon Master.

Once Phantom felt Lea is out of earshot, he looked at the Dragon Master, and met his eyes – a shade lighter than Freud's, Phantom noted sadly. Inside them, he can see frustration, stress and also aversion.

His slumped form – was a mixture of tiredness and defeated.

"You hate to lose, don't you?" Phantom asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Now there was surprise in Evan's powder blue eyes, and it was replaced with a faint glimmer of hope, but he was too tired to disagree or agree with Phantom.

And Phantom can relate to that.

"I was fooled by the Black Wings – lost to Hiver, and then…" Evan trailed off, and closed his eyes before gripping his hands together for reassurance. Phantom was an expert in reading body language – it is a necessity.

Phantom waited patiently for the boy to continue. Even if the experienced boy tried to hide it from their keen eyes, he didn't really do a good job hiding his body language. Every emotion they tried to keep will eventually burst out of their bottle and in return, damaged them – every power needs an output.

Evan struggled to explain his emotions, his worries and failures, his sadness and anger. Most of it was negative emotions and Phantom feared it would have the innocent boy at its grasp once more.

At the corner of his eye, he saw the door opened by a fraction and Lea entered smoothly and silently, as if she was a shadow and then stood still, at the corner and listened, her hand on her chin. Mir acknowledged her presence with a huff, fortunately, Evan didn't notice.

"I was really glad to see Lea – she's the first person I know who encouraged me to go on a journey, even before I met Mir. Then, suddenly she became my mentor – it's hard. I'm scared mister…what if I fail her, what if I fail all of you." Evan sounded really paranoid right now, was his self-esteem that low?

"Evan, what was supposed to take years for a mage to even utilize magic, you assimilate _them_ in months." Evan looked skeptical, and Phantom continued. "You have talent in it – and you are an asset, not a liability. If you were, I would have…well, wouldn't bother teaching you now, won't I?" Now Evan looked scared when he faced another possibility.

Lea made a cross with her arms and mouthed: " _Not reassuring!_ " Phantom gave her an evil eye, challenging her and the girl shook her head.

"What that stupid thief is trying to say is, Evan, you are _not_ Freud – and we don't expect you to become one." Lea said and coughed to her hand. Evan stood up and gaped at her.

"How long have you been there?!"

Lea smirked. "Minutes."

Evan completely missed it.

Phantom raised his eyebrows, his jaw opened when he heard her utter the very name of the previous Dragon Master – there was no way she could have known his name.

Especially when there were no records of them.

"How do you know Freud?" Phantom demanded.

Now it was Lea's turn to be perplexed as she looked thoughtful. "I…I…I'm not sure. That's strange…" Her eyes went distant and unless he was imagining things, there was fear in them.

Evan's eyes widened in realization and gaped at her, but Phantom pushed his jaw shut with a snap.

There was an awkward silence between the trio. Lea avoided looking at their eyes – and Phantom knew even if he pestered, the girl herself wouldn't answer as she didn't know either.

"You took the words right out of my mouth." Muttered the thief, feeling there was something wrong with their fated meeting.

Was it really fated?

Or was it calculated?

Those questions will haunt them at the back of their minds.

One as a shadow.

Second as a doubt.

Third as a ghost.

…

* * *

…

Meanwhile, the evil which threatened the peace of the Maple World was dreaming of the past.

At first, he was in Edelstein, living a peaceful childhood. Then, eventually, further his studies at Magatia where he rose in power with his newfound knowledge and experiments. It was from Magatia – he questioned himself: ' _Why is there no ultimate light?_ '

Soon, he went into exile by other alchemists, because of envy and fear – and he found another organization, dedicated to protect the light.

It was because of his intentions – he became the Transcendent of Light. How he achieved transcendentalism baffled his followers and himself.

It just appeared suddenly after a dream – where he met a person, holding the delicate light in her arms, looking tired, but smiling and humming to the light as if she was dotting a child of her own.

They met in a dark world, and the woman was beautiful in a dark world. But, her appearance was strange – she had fox ears, a second pair of ears and a bushy tail, which swished back and forth, sometimes curling itself around her waist.

And the woman looked as if she was around her twenties.

If it weren't for the light in her arms, he wouldn't see her, much less be captivated by her beauty.

" _Hello…Luxio,_ " she said, her voice had a musical quality to it and the light shone slightly brighter, illuminating the world.

The world suddenly sprouted plants, some he could not identify and there were trees that towered over them, its lush green embraced the woman and the light. Tendrils of ivies wrapped them as the woman laughed cheerily in this world and she released the light and it settled down onto a throne of green ivies.

" _Do you want power to protect the world?_ " asked the woman, blinking her brilliant heterochromia eyes, on her right, was crimson red and the other was ink-black. Her silky hair has three stripes; all braided up to one side. He could see black, red and orange.

Luxio nodded and the light came to him and entered, blinding him.

Then, he woke up, feeling there was another heartbeat inside him, but it was calm and alluring, pulsing with infinite power.

Without his knowledge, he mumbled in his sleep, still trapped in the seal. " **I will find you…** "


	15. Chapter 13,5 Diaries of Heroes!

**A/N: Anything with ,5 is a short story or an omake (side story, except more funny stuff). Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! R&R!  
**

 **P.S  
Ignore the 3 rules of writing the diaries - that's just self-note. Before I forget, the timeline is random for the diaries and it is on purpose!  
**

* * *

 **Chapter cover:** Mercedes, the two Arans, Phantom, Luminous and Evan are writing their diaries in their respective locations. Mercedes – her chamber, the two Arans – in the library of Rien, Phantom – in his bedroom in Lumiere, Luminous - in Lania's home (with Lania looking at it over his shoulder), Evan – in one of the training rooms in Lumiere (with Lea sleeping in a one-seat couch).

* * *

.

.

.

 _ **The Three Rules of writing the Heroes' Diaries**_

 _ **1) Never mention names other than nicknames or initials**_

 _ **2) State their observations and thoughts, and do not mention what they were doing (e.g. missions)**_

 _ **3)Always mention the owner's title/nickname of the diary**_

.

.

.

 **The Elf Queen Diary**

Dear Diary, it is almost three years since I've thawed out of the cursed ice and my townspeople…

I failed them.

It _scares_ me – not knowing what's coming in our way, not knowing what to do. I almost lost my mind, from my _failures_. Can you believe it?

Even now as I write my entry, I can't help, but shudder at the thought of the Black Mage rising again. I know it is unavoidable. We only sealed him, not kill him in cold blood.

What I find it…stranger – and that's a feat considering I was alive for more than two hundred years – is the same girl and boy (I will call them ' _L.S_ ' and ' _K.A_ ' if I do mention them in future entries) – one who looked exactly like _him_ and another almost identical. Those eyes…looked as if they went through a war. No Adventurers have eyes like… _it_.

They have something dark, lingering like a shadow. There was a light of hope, but it was dimming, gradually fading from their eyes. Even if they act like children like their age, I hope I will witness it myself.

I think they are struggling to survive from whatever hell fate is throwing at them – or risk drowning in the sea of darkness.

Even if Maple World is at peace now…there are children who looked like…they see nothing, but the ugliness of the world.

We just passed by each other in Kerning City, and he never saw me – which I think _is_ fortunate.

I didn't catch the kid's name, but his appearance was handsome, at the same time, there was sorrow etched in his eyes, and his posture too. Beside him was a young, bubbly girl, and I ship them together (guilty as charged).

I blame my friend _A.P_ for that strange habit I picked up.

Good night, my dear diary. I hope we can find our friends soon…and…never mind. It is better if I don't jinx it.

…

* * *

…

 **The Twin Diary**

 _AG_ : Dear Diary,

Training is scary when our trainer AROUND! Oh, a baby penguin and an angry…! Wait…oh nooo…

Got to go before I receive any more training push ups!

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

 _AB_ : Dear Diary

I am looking at my counterpart's diary…this is so strange. And I agree with my, uh…partner. I swear I don't get her train of thoughts most of the time. One moment food, another moment snow, then animals and then monsters.

If you are reading this, my partner – forgive me for I am a boy and nothing less, nothing more.

See ya, diary!

^  
Don't worry, _I_ forgive you!  
\- Love, _AG_

…

* * *

…

 **The Master Thief Diary**

Dear Diary,

Like any other days, it is a tiring day and being insulted or teased by your butler or maids is sure to bring your mental health down.

And now, another player has entered the insulting – slash – teasing game _against_ me. Gee, won't _they_ give it up? It's hurting my ego to the maximum, but I won't lose!

Signing off!

...

* * *

…

 **The Grumpy Magician**

Dear Diary,

Again…my baby girl is being hit by so many _boys_ in Ellinia – for a mere shopping trip! _This is outrageous!_ And she _refused_ to take the robot with her!

AND THAT _CRAZY_ PRANKSTER KEEPS COMING BACK TO MY HOME!

Really? _World?_ Is this your idea of fun?

…

* * *

…

 **The Dragon Master**

Dear Diary,

I learned a few things about rules of magic. It may seem strange, but I will list it down here, so that I can refer to it later and memorize them by heart. I think there are more though, but none of my mentors are willing to tell me and instead, wants me to blow up first…

That's a scary thought…

1: -  
Every magic has its own strengths and weakness – and it depends on a mage's quality and quantity of mana, although it leans more on quality, but the time taken for it to last is the quantity.

2:-  
The Elemental Chart can be useless if the main five elements is merged with the element Holy or Dark unless countered with the opposite element.

3:-  
Magic attacks are stronger if the person is physically strong due to the mana output (strange, but makes sense)

4:-  
Magic is not limited to one form. It depends on the user's creativity and imagination (proven by the two mentors)

Hm…there is one more thing though, which is still theoretical…and none of us could prove it.

Pseudo-rule no.5:-  
Everyone has affinity for the main elements – except for Light and Dark Elements from the beginning, but as we concentrate on one, we eventually lose the ability to use the other elements unless we do something drastic.


	16. Chapter 14 111

**Chapter cover:** The two Arans crossed their swords like an X. The girl to the left, while the boy to the right. Both looked concentrated on their weapons with gritted teeth.

* * *

...

 **Location: Unknown**

 _Restricting…_

Was the word that came to the pseudo-beast's mind. She felt tired, all the energy, the adrenaline she fought earlier was gone the moment that shitty old man and his familiar _bind_ her. How they did it, she will never know for her vision went dark – part of the binding. She could barely see.

To make everything perfect, she can't use her mana.

But her other senses work. The old man stank of rotten flesh – something she is too well-versed with. Especially people who associate with darkness, but it was…how does she put it?

What word will describe it the most accurate?

Something all-too familiar and yet at the same time, alien to her – and each individual who associate with magic have a different smell.

She bit her bottom lip a bit too hard as she winced and she felt his hungry stare.

"You know…my old," He paused, and something colder than ice was pressed to her exposed belly button. Something flat…a blade? She shuddered, but not from cold – this _something_ is a medium. The pseudo-beast felt power radiating from it and this time, the mana was raw – it smells, but not like the ashes of the flames like the Dragon Master, Evan.

"body couldn't keep up with the times _sometimes_." Continued the cracked voice. It sounded like somebody scorched his throat with flames.

She did her best to ignore him and concentrated on the ragged breathing of her partner, except it was slower and softer – he is sleeping. Good, he needs all the rest he can.

How long were they kept captive? She wasn't sure, but they were getting more and more malnourished as the days passed. Plus, although they were both victims, for several reasons she couldn't understand – the old man was only drawing her blood. It hurts, but she endured those…lessons – he called it.

As he continued his…speech, his _familiar_ , its cold scales brushed her bound hands – mocking her freedom.

She tried to clench her hands, but failed as the chains restrained them – and they were not responding. Not a good sign.

"Why us?"

"I'm glad you ask…my _little_ apprentice. Why you and your _partner_ ," He spat the word with venom and she quirked an eyebrow. "Have no memories of your past. Who took it? I know it couldn't be my master, and yet – there were signs of it. I daresay…his blood relative? If so, it makes sense – with the right _Origin_."

She sighed. Whatever he's saying is lots of shit. "Just take my blood and leave us alone." She growled as best as she could with her parched lips.

"That is _my_ intention – but there's a change of plans. Your friends are searching, and two of them are…interesting I must say. Another _abnormality?_ "

She felt a chill down her spine.

Then, the cold blade dug deep and she bit her lips to prevent a scream, and tried to relax as if she resisted – it would be horrible. She shivered, the shitty mana is _contaminating_ her!

Her warm blood trickled down her stomach and onto another smooth and thin item underneath the reopened wound.

A bowl.

"You're so obedient because you are afraid I will harm your partner because of my promise. Don't worry, I will keep him because it makes my job easier." His breath tickled her ear and she grimaced.

"I will _murder_ you."

She knew she pissed the old man off as he snapped his fingers – a strange action, definitely the first. Only later she realized it was a trigger.

She felt her whole body burning and she screamed and thrashed in her restraints. It felt as if she was in an ice-cold pool with absolute zero temperature and cold blades digging into her flesh, and pulled themselves out slowly – just to torment her.

It felt like hours and salty sweat trickled down her exposed skin. Dimly, she heard her partner calling her name.

"ARAN!"

Her head pounded painfully, her entire body was aching from the strange ordeal and the shouting didn't help, but it was silenced the moment she used almost all her strength to shout back, "SHUT THE HELL UP!"

 _I will kill him_ , thought the girl bitterly. They were suspended in the air, and their hands and legs were bound separately, like an X. She didn't know that.

But her partner did.

The old man laughed sardonically.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" Her partner half-shouted, she did her best to turn her head in his direction, though she was panting heavily as if she was following Lilin's training menu.

"Something to make her more obedient to _us_." He hissed back. "I will break her will _this_ time."

So the attack wasn't random after all. They were his targets – or rather – she corrected – _she_ is his target. Her partner was innocent. If what the old man said is true, help is coming after…how many days have passed?

She barely registered the old man's words before he left to wherever he's heading. "Enjoy the torture of your mind… _Katrina_."

Her name is Katrina?

And the pain began once more the moment he snapped his fingers.

Whoever said people will get used to pain are liars.

…

* * *

…

 **Date: 1/11/ X643**

The boy named Crow was sitting on a tree branch, almost dozing off when he heard the tactician's call. A flash of white came and suddenly he was looking at his albino partner who still has that sappy grin on her face, hanging upside down from the opposite tree.

"Neinheart and his gang found something, shall we see?"

Crow pulled his red scarf to the point it covered his bottom half of his face and swung himself from tree to tree using the branches while Kuan jumped down and ran towards the meeting area.

XXX

"One question," Hawkeye began; his usual smile became wider with strain as he looked at his fellow colleagues and the two oddballs in the Silent Crusade group. Neinheart sighed and placed the file in the middle of the glass table in the room and readjust his monocle. The afternoon light reflected the golden tint of the monocle.

"Why my damn room?!"

Neinheart casually took his checkbook out and Hawkeye watched with horror as the tactician reduced his pay by 90%. Crow was slightly amused, he heard the rumors – but he didn't really expect to see _that_ in action. The rest of the Cygnus Knights patted his back once as Hawkeye sobbed as he griped about his miniature paycheck.

He almost met the table face-first when Mihile, the Knight of Light did it.

"Now…" Neinheart said ominously. "Any more complaints?"

In unison, the five Cygnus Knights shook their heads.

"I will make this brief. We found clues relating to the twins' disappearance two months ago." Crow's hand which was on his forearm gripped tighter and the atmosphere was no longer light.

"And?" Crow prompted. Kuan glanced at him, he knew it wasn't his style to lead.

"Remember when our scouts found blood on the walls of…Magatia? With the Roman numerals XI?"

Instantly, Oz's face paled. "Oh my god." Her hands covered her mouth while the rest grimaced and winced. It wasn't a pretty picture.

"Are you saying it's their blood?" Kuan asked as she balanced her wooden chair with its back legs.

"It's possible." The tactician gave the boy a faint smile. "Crow, will you assist the investigation?"

Crow let out a yawn and smacked his lips. "This is a nice breakthrough – and I don't think I'm the best choice here."

Mihile growled. "Why?"

"First, I was forced to join because _she_ ," said Crow and elbowed his albino partner ("HEY!"). "was scouted by you. And in all honesty, I think searching the twins are a waste of time." He held out a hand to cut the green archer's protest. "I'm not done yet. In case you haven't noticed – Commander Arkarium have been awfully silent for these few months. Three years before that, he was making a ruckus in Magatia – and now nothing?"

"I expected more from you…Tactician Neinheart." Crow glared at _him_. "And those Mystic Gates? We all know it's his doing – and no matter how many times we shatter them," The boy paused and took a deep breath. "they will regenerate. Even my team altogether couldn't stop them."

"My second reason – if I do encounter the commander, I will not win, even with trickery. Third," He held out three fingers. "I'm not exactly in the best of moods, so another time?"

Kuan massaged her forehead. "Guilty for the first. You're not exactly helping for the second. How is the third related to the matter?!"

Neinheart was still calm and collected even as Crow said his points.

"We have our hands full with a lot of matters. From keeping tags on people, finding recruits and protecting the Empress – and also, making new friends from another world." Stated the tactician coldly, but that wasn't enough to faze Crow as he checked his fingernails, mentally noting to cut them. "And you are not putting enough effort to find the twins – why?"

Crow sighed. He expected this straightforward question the moment Neinheart mentioned the photo. Neinheart slid the brown file towards Crow and the latter snarled at it.

Kuan punched in lightly on the shoulder, prompting his aching arm to take it.

Appearances can be deceiving.

If Crow thought it would be just a normal mission, he was wrong this round – the first.

The moment they looked at the picture of a certain leader, they both blanched.

"We're _so_ dead…" He muttered soft enough for his partner to hear and they looked at the expected faces of their so-called allies. If their faces were any paler, it would be something.

"A trap…" Kuan whimpered. She sounded close to crying. "Do you think _she_ will forgive us?"

Crow let out a hollow laugh, almost smiling at Neinheart's serious look. "You know as well as I do, we're _mortally_ _screwed_."

To emphasize the screwed, Crow made a cutting gesture to his throat. Kuan slammed her head to the table once, and let out a long groan.

Neinheart gave his orders as if the exchange never happened. "Bring Lea Stellar here. Damn it. To think the Empress made contact with her without my knowledge…" And the rest was omitted because Crow and Kuan plugged their ears. And they feared their incognito leader more than they feared the tactician.

...

* * *

 **A/N: Well...you will know why they are in deep trouble in later chapters. Thank you for reading - leave a review!**


	17. Chapter 15 Ace of Spades

**Chapter cover:** Crow's and Kuan's forehead was beaded with sweat as they glared at each other in the field, their weapons unsheathed. One path of their sweat formed a reversed 5 on their cheek.

* * *

...

 **Location: Ellinia  
Time: 02:04:00**

Jake was sleeping in his apartment – reserved for researchers like him – on the floor, curled up with his ragged blanket when the window was tapped twice. It was soft, and Jake didn't stir from his sleep.

The pale moonlight which shone on him was partially blocked by a person, and that person's patience was running thin and rapped the window harder, with urgency behind it.

That did the trick as Jake woke up, his eyes still close – and his breathing sounded as if he was sleeping. It wasn't easy to do so, but years of training helped. Jake tried to heighten his senses and only to notice the light was gone. He groggily stood up and faced the window, and then smiled at the unwanted guests – but let open the window and back away.

There are only a few people he knows will do this, because the front door is always useless or rather, their mindset is 'no doors'. Why they think like that – Jake didn't want to know.

"Hola," Jake said cheerily, but with a hint of tiredness behind it. "What's wrong?"

Instead of answering him, the guests climbed in and tripped over his staff. One of them winced as she had scraped her knee. Jake helped her up while her partner entered smoothly, but cursed under his breath because his toe was stubbed with…how did he _even_ get there? The table is clearly away from the window.

Then Jake remembered, Crow is a half-demon, definitely have better physical qualities such as strength than a normal human.

He caught a brief look at their clothes. Kuan was wearing her usual frilly dress, black like Crow's. And Crow, in his usual crow-coloured clothes and the red scarf, a memento of their father and the crow-insignia gloves.

"You _have_ to help us, Jake." Kuan's voice normally has childishness in it, but now it sounded slightly deeper, a more mature voice. Jake sighed and his little brother sat cross legged on the other bed, twiddling his thumb. The younger looking girl helped herself with a comfortable chair and a cookie jar.

Jake, the bishop was slightly irritated the moment he knew the time. "Guys, it's early in the morning, and it's not even dawn – why?"

Crow dropped the bombshell. "Orders to capture Lea."

Jake facepalmed. "Congratulations, how are _you_ going to explain? I'm pretty sure she was clear to you not to get _found_ out."

"Precisely the problem, dear brother." Crow answered mockingly, before jerking his chin to his albino partner.

Kuan understood the message. "We can't leave our post – and yet, we did just to visit you. Where do you think Lea would be at this time?"

" _Sleeping_ ," Jake replied bluntly. Under Kuan's glare, he knew he was one snarky comment away from a painful kick.

"Calculations of jet lag." Kuan added helpfully, glancing at the moon.

Jake considered her suggestion. "Ossyria or on the way to Ossyria. Wait, how are you-"

Kuan cleared her throat and pointed at the sky and Jake realized they were going to call some huge flying companion – Griffons?

"We decided not to teleport there – in case of miscalculation and, it is highly possible there is a barrier to keep out unwanted intruders or if they managed to enter, trapped them there."

Jake nodded at her reasoning. "Need crystals?"

Kuan stared at Jake as if he had grown an extra head. "No."

With that tone of finality, the matter was closed and almost immediately, they disappeared from the room, leaving only two pieces of paper behind shaped like a human and that's when Jake knew it was Kuan's handiwork. She is excellent with summoning…things.

Jake looked at the messy room – he should pack up.

XXX

It was roughly five hours since he woke up, and Jake wouldn't notice the time unless he looked at the table clock on his desk, ticking away. Since he was fully awake, he decided to continue his research regarding elemental magic and the causes of it. He found it strange; despite extremely capable of using holy magic, he could also use other elements unlike most bishops.

Most bishops gradually lost their ability to use other elemental magic such as water or earth. It is not limited to mages like bishops; it even extended to other…people like warriors or thieves.

Why it happened – no one knows, and it is precisely the reason why Jake wanted to tackle the problem.

He scribbled down his theories, only to slash them as it was odd.

Finally, he decided to seek out his master for advice, the job instructor of magicians, Grendal the Really Old.

Or in Jake's terms, Grendal, the extremely old geezer.

Oops – Jake covered his mouth as if his thought was said aloud. He walked to his bathroom and cleaned himself as best as he could and changed from his pajamas to his more casual outfit, and later put on his mage robe. It was plain, brown like the earth and he pulled on a pair of fingerless gloves and slung his bandaged staff on his back – for any emergencies.

He looked at the now tidy room and a single lonely back on his unmade bed. On instinct, he brought it along and slung it across his front.

He stretched himself and ran, with every step, his sling bag bump on his knees, to the greatest library of Ellinia to meet with the old geezer.

But stopped at a distance when he saw a familiar looking mage – Luminous.

Jake sighed inwardly. He knew Luminous loves Lania – to the point his fatherly instincts kicked in whenever Jake talked with Lania. It was not impossible to miss his murderous intent oozing out.

Luminous spotted him and approached him with his usual expressionless face. Jake waved his hand in greeting half-heartedly because Luminous…looked sad. Even his posture spelled tiredness and heartache even it was straight and confident.

Luminous pointed at the nearest bench and left Jake, compelling him to follow out of curiosity.

"What's wrong?" Jake asked before sitting beside the hero. The light mage smiled faintly, but his eyes were telling _him_ otherwise. There was pain in them, and fear – but not directed at Jake.

"I know we…start off with the wrong foot, but I want to thank you for keeping Lania safe." Luminous hung his head in shame. Jake merely nodded, sensing it wasn't the end.

The light mage took a deep breath. "If possible…can you help me?"

Jake raised an eyebrow.

"I…am _contaminated_ from the previous battle from the Black Mage. The sole reason why I left Lania alone in the first place." Luminous continued, looking straight in Jake's eyes.

Jake tilted his head, unsure what was Luminous trying to say. He decided not to speak until Luminous spoke his problems…properly. Jake gestured for Luminous to continue.

Luminous looked nervous. "The darkness I took from him…he told me it would swallow me up." Jake looked concerned, but it wasn't enough to push him into action.

"It's strange, because I never thought it would be true until _that_ day – when it began." The left red eye glowed with power. "Although I am able to control it at my own whims with the _auguries_ , it's still not enough. I spend almost every waking hour, wondering about my fate – because I am not supposed to be here in _this_ era."

There was silence as Luminous searched for the words to express his feelings and his thoughts. Jake merely unslung his staff and placed it on his lap as his back was getting uncomfortable with the baggage.

Finally, what seemed like hours which was actually minutes, Luminous continued, "The contamination affected more than just my body – it affected my heart, it has a personality. If I don't steel myself every day, it will devour me from the inside."

Like a parasite, Jake thought.

"It took control a few times, and the battle is tiring – even now, as we speak, it is telling me to give _it_ control."

"Hmm…" Jake tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Can you elaborate on your battle? What does it _try_ to do to make sure you relinquish your body?"

Luminous's face darkened – and Jake shuddered.

"By showing me my fears coming to life, and…decisions I regretted not taking. Very effective – and convincing me it could do a better job." There was sorrow in his eyes and Jake did not press for details.

Jake hmmed again – these descriptions sounded like Lea's – except more of cold sweat and screaming when waking up.

Now, several citizens of Ellinia should be waking up and doing their jobs. There was a teenager, standing guard at his own home, giving the duo misgiving looks.

"How often does it…appears?"

Luminous's eyes were sharp, and piercing. "When I'm weak."

Jake sighed, not hiding his exasperation. "Too vague, do you have any headaches?"

"Used to…until Vieren took it away. Come to think of it, the headache was there the moment I broke free from the ice."

Jake's eyes narrowed briefly. "I see…I will do what I can. But answer one question,"

Luminous shrugged – thinking it wouldn't harm him.

"Take care of Lea." Jake said rather nonchalantly. The older mage's eyes widened, his jaw dropping to the ground if it was possible. Jake patted his shoulder once and walked to the library – effectively cutting any possible questions from Luminous.

And if he was right, Luminous would be leaving today – while Lania is still asleep. Jake tapped his chin again, and looked up – maybe he should go on an adventure instead of holing up in his room…besides, maybe he will have his answers out there.

Maybe.

Jake turned around and chased after the light mage who was already outside, walking on the path leading towards the six oath crossways. With the staff in hand, Jake teleported behind Luminous and grabbed him by the arm.

"Luminous! Can I follow you?"

Luminous was startled at the sudden touch, and with strength, Jake managed to pull the _light_ mage around – or at least the upper body.

Jake knew he was gaining weird looks, especially one in front of him. Luminous gauged him, considering his options.

"What about Lania?"

Jake grinned. "The ghost will take care of it – or," He did a shrill whistle – which echoed for miles in this quiet town, and let go of Luminous's arm. For a moment, Luminous looked furious, but then a rush of wind and the sudden chirping reply came.

A white dove landed on Jake's shoulder, nudging him affectionately. "Take care of Lania."

The dove blinked its beady eyes and spread its wings once more to Lania's house direction. Luminous smiled, a real one.

"I suppose it will do. Nice…companion you have there." Luminous turned back, slinging his bag to the front and took out his weapon, both pointed at the end – a kind of rod, specially made for both hand-to-hand combat before they entered the infested monster areas.

...

* * *

 **A/N: I made a draft for this and let's just say it was too boring for me. So I deleted that and created a new one. A short chapter - you may think it's a filler, think of it as a prelude for plot progression. I introduced most of the OC's I planned and the heroes too - I promise they are not useless.**


	18. Chapter 16 ORIGIN Part 1

**Chapter cover:** Phantom holding an Ace of Spades between his ungloved right hand, facing forward with an amused smirk on his lips.

* * *

...

 **Location: Ariant  
Date: 5/11/ X643 **

It was supposed to be a nice day, except the desert of Ariant was never kind to travelers – with the scorching sun beating their backs, forcing them to hydrate themselves almost every ten minutes.

Yes, there is a kind of beauty in the desert, both day and night.

But underneath that beauty, there was a great darkness swallowing the city.

Phantom knew it firsthand. He watched the life of the slums along with his silent companion, their face was partially covered by the shadows of their hood and waited underneath a shade. Nobody took notice of them.

Children wore rags, and were kicking up sand, some running around, laughing cheerily, but their bodies were pitiful. They were all skins and bones, their cheeks were sunken – clearly malnourished. But their eyes were bright as if they were determined to survive in this hellish paradise.

Lea was sitting on a sandy crate – still like a hunter, leaning against the smooth wall of a poor house as they waited for something – her eyes kept darting around, but her head didn't move. On the other hand, Phantom hummed a tune, a lullaby.

They were waiting for their contact – or more specifically, Lea's contact.

It was only when the sun began to set when a sudden heat wave came. The humming stopped.

Phantom wanted to move and almost did until Lea grabbed his wrist and shook her head, a small one. Phantom stood still and endured the heat and didn't notice Lea had released him.

Minutes later, they saw another hooded figure approaching them. Since most of the people of the slums were inside, they didn't have to worry about being spotted. Phantom's felt the back of his hair stand as he felt the foreboding aura emitting from the hooded stranger. For a moment, he saw something golden in the shadows of the stranger's hood – then it was gone and replaced by gray, blending easily with the shadows.

Lea offered her bandaged hand, and a greeting in another language in a strangled whisper. The hooded person took it and returned a greeting – fortunately, this time in English. "Likewise, squad leader of the 6th squad." Her voice was…sharp, and serious.

A female…Phantom noted.

"Phantom, meet Aozaki." Lea said in a raspy voice. Aozaki chuckled before offering a bottle of fresh water to Lea – which she took it gratefully. Phantom could only eye on the water, feeling pathetic.

The heat wave was gone. Then, it clicked.

"Your spell?" Phantom asked, almost equally raspy as Lea. Aozaki looked subtly surprised and nodded before offering another bottle of water, thankfully. However, Phantom struggled to open the bottle of water – and earned sympatric looks from the two women.

"I am an expert with fire magic, and runes. As you know, most spells we normally use will leave a trail. But I modify mine, until they cannot be traced too easily." With that, Aozaki pulled out a packet of cigarettes and pulled one stump out and lit it up with a lighter and offered Lea one.

Lea made a noise of disgust. "I don't smoke. And give me _that_." She snatched the plastic bottle away and twisted the cap easily with her right thumb, the cap flew off from sheer force and it went towards the house opposite them, somehow sailing through the small opening of the sandy curtain, and clang against a metal. He felt something thrust into his hands, ah the bottle.

Phantom blinked, but pretended he didn't see that and drank the water. Partly because of the dark gloom surrounding Lea – and partly because he can sense a trace of mana from Lea's right hand.

Aozaki shrugged and huffed out a perfect ring before placing her packet of cigarettes back. "We should get going – to Magatia, once in my lab, we can talk without a worry about eavesdroppers.

Then, she reached for something else. Lea and Phantom exchanged looks – one pissed, another amusement.

For a good twenty seconds, they watched Aozaki's hand moved underneath the folds of her travelling robe. Finally, she pulled out a rune rock, humming a happy tune. "This is a prototype – want to risk it?"

Lea snorted – an unladylike thing to do. "If we use the camel taxi, a good chunk of our time will be gone."

"Half a day if you're lucky," Aozaki nodded. It was only then Phantom realized he had not seen Aozaki's face, even if her pink lipstick stood out. "What'da ya wanna do?" Aozaki said in a thick accent of Edelstein. A soft breeze came.

"We'll take the risk," Lea answered, and Phantom froze.

"What if it fails?" Phantom asked, earning him an exasperated look from Lea and a smile from Aozaki.

"We die." Aozaki answered bluntly, she dropped the remaining butt and squashed it under her feet. Phantom winced – Aozaki said it so easily, as if she didn't care about life at all. But they pressed for time, with no other choice, the duo allowed Aozaki to use her prototype on them and on herself.

If anybody looked outside, they will find almost no traces of the three people except for an odd colour of fine sand and pieces of small stones. The cigarette butt was buried underneath them.

XXX

Phantom felt sick, his sense of balance was completely shut down. He felt as if he had some sort of motion sickness – except it was space sickness. He was spinning wildly, and then he felt weightless – until gravity took over and crashed onto the marbled floor.

His stomach churned uncomfortably, his bile rising, but he swallowed it. He blinked a few times, and supported himself with one of the messy tables – paperwork were scattered everywhere as his body slumped across the table.

The ceiling was tall, and unless he was seeing things, there was a chandelier right above him.

How green…

With a few minutes, his bearings will return and until then, Phantom rather not risk falling without any support.

His ally was not as lucky as Lea's face turned green, sickly green, and ran as if hell was on her heels, but her movements were clumsy and she kept bumping into things ranging from experiments – they didn't fall at all! – Phantom shuddered from the memories of Freud's experiments – to papers and blackboards. Eventually, she managed to bump onto the nearest bucket – and retched.

Aozaki sat beside Phantom, and looked calmly at the duo with a sinister smile on her face. She was clearly unaffected.

Halfway during their space-travel, Aozaki's hood was pushed down, revealing her ponytailed ashen white hair and her tanned skin. She blinked her stormy gray eyes and chuckled at Phantom before playfully poking his forehead.

"Silly hero." Remarked the alchemist. She got up and turned her back before the two unfortunate people and went somewhere.

Even with Lea's barfing noises, his trained ears could hear the clinking of glass and metal – is Aozaki making drinks for them?

"You okay there? Lea?" Aozaki's voice called out, somehow her tone sounded different.

Cheery is the word.

Why the change?

Lea groaned in affirmative. "Great…wait…are you wearing your glasses?"

Phantom sighed inwardly, another weird person to meet – not that he could complain.

"Mmmhm. Hon, I prefer if you called it by its _proper_ name." Aozaki came back, holding two beakers in her hands and placed one down beside Phantom before taking the second for herself as she took a long draught from the whatever yellowish substance.

The glasses made her look nerdy, smart even with her white long-sleeve shirt and coffee brown pants. She discarded her travelling robe onto a chair, hopelessly stacked up with other dirty laundry.

By the Transcendents, was that moss growing?!

Phantom felt sicker than before, but forced himself up only to be assaulted by a headache. The female alchemist gave him a sharp look and pointed the beaker with her chin. "Drink up." She smiled once more and finished the rest of her drink.

She smacked her lips. "Good stuff, chrysanthemum tea."

Light footsteps came and Lea looked better, and there's a scowl. "I hate portals – they make me sick."

"A necessity, _hon_." Stated the alchemist. "Want some?"

Lea nodded and glanced at the groggy thief. "I don't think we will be exchanging information soon…" The other female lit up another cigarette in response and tapped the remaining ashes onto the tray, full with many brown stumps of the cigarettes before fetching another drink for Lea.

When she came back, there was a little umbrella in it and by the time she came back, Phantom was leaning on Lea's shoulder, his hands around the beaker, taking a sip as it was hot enough to scald his tongue.

"Cute." Aozaki remarked once she passed the drink to Lea. Lea scoffed and gestured the glasses. "Take it off."

Aozaki relented, and her gaze was sharper than usual. " _So_ …you used the information wisely…to help the _Empress_ ," Her voice was back to normal. The alchemist paused and tapped the beaker with her long, red painted nails, her other hand waving the pair of glasses accusingly.

Lea laughed, but there was no humor in them. "I don't have much choice, especially when the Black Mage _is_ breaking his seal."

"Are you the Heroes' ally or enemy?" Aozaki shot another bullet. Phantom felt Lea's body tensed and he began to worry for her wellbeing.

The silence stretched until Lea chose to drink instead of answering much to Phantom's confusion.

Aozaki started laughing. "Interesting, you choose neither – _neutrality?_ And yet your recent actions say…otherwise." She injected the word with amusement. Was this conversation a game?

Lea made a noise with the back of her throat – inhuman noise. And Phantom leaned away from her, hoping she would calm down.

Aozaki shook her head. "Hmph. Half the time – I am stuck in this lab, crafting my own dolls – doing my experiments and paperwork all on my own. You and I know, there is no place for people like us." She looked up the ceiling. "Forever living…forever watching, even under the eyes of both heads of the alchemist organization, they never noticed."

Phantom felt they were talking about another thing entirely, and Lea looked somber. His drink was long cold by the time he took the next sip.

"I am sure you are aware of my research…" said the alchemist, still looking at the ceiling.

" _Origin_ – of physical body." Lea replied sharply and she tugged his robe lightly, as if asking him to pay attention.

That is the first time Phantom about it. The word _Origin_ and the principle behind it.

The other lady nodded eagerly. "Our little friend is lost, let me explain. All sentiment beings have their own origins. Look at this doll," She reached out for a Russian doll and passed it to clueless Phantom. Phantom stared at it, but accepted it after he placed the empty beaker away from their reach.

"Now, open it."

Phantom did what he was told and saw another doll, exactly the same image, but different size. Under the expected glance of Lea, he continued until he reached the tiniest doll, barely the height of his thumb.

"He's done!" Lea called out a bit too loudly. Aozaki had wandered off when Phantom was concentrating on opening the dolls.

The devil appeared from a blackboard with runes and waved in return before hopping down to their side.

"Try opening the last doll."

Phantom opened the doll for the last time and let out a sigh of relief when there was nothing.

Wait…nothing?!

He checked every corner of the doll – and relaxed for a moment.

The alchemist slid a hand across her face. "You really should get rid of your _nothing_ thought, Phantom. That _nothing_ is actually _something_."

As Phantom was still confused, Lea translated the alchemist's words. "We came from something. It can be an energy, but origin goes further than that – think of it as our soul and what makes _our_ soul."

Lea waited for the information to sink in before she continued, "For example," Lea pointed at the alchemist who was writing the air with a chalk. "Aozaki's origin is ' _conversion_ '. Because of that, she can change her physical body, although it still looks the same. No offense." The younger girl added.

Aozaki merely shrugged and the word she was writing turned into a small tornado, sweeping up the dust from unwanted places and later deposited them outside. "It's not far from the mark, and my origin is not conversion. It takes a strong mage to find their origin or other people's origin." She huffed two perfect smoke rings.

"Lea, yours is probably ' _acceptance_ ' partly because you accept things very easily – energy…people which most wouldn't go near…and you are also very self-sacrificing. Your gentleness is your weapon and also your weakness."

She crushed the orange stump with her hand. "Is it what you came here for? A theory lesson for the master thief?"

Lea narrowed her eyes at the thief. "Partly, how's Hilla?"

"She's still going strong. Even if Neinheart is the best in tactics – they are useless against her undead army. The best way to defeat her army is save the soul _within_ them – and it requires a shaman. Preferably stronger than Hilla." She glanced at the melting candles which indicated the time and then, stared at the duo.

"It's already tea break – do you want to stay?"

Aozaki is inviting them to stay for the night. Instead of answering, Lea tucked her arms and stared at the experiments and also at Aozaki's crafting of dolls – they looked realistically human.

Phantom tipped his hat to her and put on a bright smile. "We'd love to."


	19. Chapter 17 ORIGIN Part 2

**Chapter cover:** Lea Stellar in a foetal position which shaped like a reversed 6. Her eyes were filled with hopelessness as across her was the corpse of the child she failed to save.

* * *

...

Aozaki Yoko was doing some minor changes with a cilent's doll arm when she heard a scream. She calmly placed her tools back to their places and strut to the place where Lea was sleeping. She navigated her way through the towering paper stacks and mini-experiments – none she took noticed, until she found Lea.

Lea Stellar was in fetal position, her knuckles were white as she gripped the thin blanket too tightly. Even though Aozaki's lab was warm, Lea was shivering.

And she was sweating profusely.

Aozaki heard some rush of footsteps and there came the master thief, Phantom. She placed a finger to her own lips, gesturing him to be quiet before approaching Lea, but waited for a few minutes to observe her and then, gingerly touched the younger child.

The poor soul flinched from her touch, eyes still shut and muttering incoherent things. "Please…no…no more…0…1…2…3…"

Lea practically radiated fear – fear of someone who isn't there.

Aozaki sighed and shook her at the thief. "Get some sleep – she'll be fine…"

 _I hope_. She added mentally and went to sit on a chair. The thief did not obey as he went to Lea's side and checked on her with concern etched in his features. His eyes showed no surprise – meaning he must have seen the episode at least once.

" _What happened to her?_ She never tells me the details – and she refused to tell me anything related to her nightmares." Phantom said, his eyes darted to Aozaki who looked away and heaved a heavy sigh.

Aozaki closed her eyes – she could still remember the terrible state of a younger Lea Stellar. Instead of bright round eyes, they were dead, devoid of emotion. There was blood on her clothes and Aozaki suspected Lea was tortured physically as her fingers were still pink – raw from constant regeneration. There were signs of white hair, but not too much to overcome her untidy obsidian coloured hair. Her mouth was slightly bloodied – and the blood was fresh.

Instead of the Stellar's training garb, which was fitting suits, but comfortable to wear and easy to move around – Lea wore a single black T-shirt, which matched her eyes, and crimson coloured pants.

There were a stench of rotten flesh and signs of scuffles in the room. The splinters of a wooden chair…dented walls of the metallic room, and shrapnel of broken checkered tiles. Some parts of the walls looked as if they have been pierced by a spear – and under the dim lighting of the stupid room, Aozaki couldn't tell, especially when they blend in with the darkness.

Far to Aozaki's right, the poor kidnapper was killed by pierced through the gut by some weird dark substance – it was black liquid, but it pulsed with power and it was solid enough to pierce through a human's body.

There was a single mask on Lea's feet, the upper right of the mask was dyed red with someone's blood – and its shape was plain, something most people would wear for scares.

Then, Lea Stellar laid her eyes on the alchemist and tensed, ready to fight, sky blue mana surrounded her – protecting her and fortifying her defenses, which is also her offense.

Lea Stellar looked very different from the single photo Aozaki Yoko was given prior her acceptance of the request.

And it was a wonder how a half-trained warrior, and Lea was only five – and her control over her own _mana_ was something Aozaki haven't seen for years.

However, weakened by the earlier fight and the amount of blood loss and exhaustion – Aozaki neutralized Lea Stellar easily, even if Lea Stellar did surprise her with her own control of blood – which explains the pseudo-solid spears around the room.

If Aozaki have to term the pseudo-solid spears which can bend under the younger's child will; it would be liquid muscle.

"Aozaki?" Phantom's voice snapped her out of her past. The alchemist blinked a few times before she focused on Phantom, who was sitting on a table opposite her as he couldn't be bothered to find a better chair.

"Sorry, what were you saying?"

Phantom tucked his arms. "What happened to Lea Stellar in the past?"

"I guess you know what she's suffering from…"

Phantom's smile suddenly had a small curve at the corners. "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, also known as PTSD."

Aozaki took her cigarette box out and untucked her wrinkled shirt before lighting up one last cigarette. She intended to savour the taste and relieve her stress. Despite having a different body, her mind would not let go of the addiction.

"At least it's not too bad…these days from what I heard. When I first rescued her, she refused to eat _anything_. It was a tough time for the clan of stars too. Just a week before she was rescued, her parents passed away…or should I say, killed in their last battle." Aozaki tapped the ashes away. "If her torturer is connected to the very same…organization…." She trailed off before stating her thoughts.

"Lea snapped emotionally and mentally if she heard the devastating news. Even if the fire is put out-"

"The smoke lingers…" Phantom finished. "And what of _this_ organization you spoke of?"

Aozaki considered her options. Saying things that were better left forgotten to a normal human is dangerous – especially the world they all stepped into was dark enough to make the surface's darkness looked like light.

Aozaki waved it away and scowled. "Better leave it in the past – even the name itself left a bitter taste." Under Phantom's sneaky look, the alchemist added, "It's a hidden war – and trust me, you won't find anything."

Phantom had a defiant look. A good one – it's no wonder he has the courage to fight against the corrupted Transcendent of Light.

A little bit of information won't harm him, just enough to sate his curiosity.

" _Because we fought in another dimension_." Aozaki crushed the stump in her hands and laughed softly. "Is it in the Maple World? Yes, but what _World?_ "

Now there's denial in Phantom's face. He is refusing the other possibility.

 _Fool_. Aozaki thought.

There is no point avoiding the truth and surround yourself with fragile lies.

"Stop." Lea spoke in a commanding tone. Aozaki blinked twice and finally spotted the girl, her hair was a mess, and her eyes were dull – her skin was paler than usual. The alchemist smiled and waited.

"Don't get him involved with _our_ world," Once those words left her mouth, Phantom's eyes widened a fraction before it went back to normal. Unfortunately, Phantom didn't hide his intentions quite well as Lea popped her index finger – a habit of hers when she was serious.

Aozaki gave her a two-finger salute out of sheer respect. "When did you wake up?"

Lea refused to answer, and instead glared at Phantom with distrustful look. "Mr, please rest, Aozaki – we will continue _this_ conversation later and I expect you as a fellow friend, to teach Phantom the Origin theory."

Aozaki raised her thin eyebrows. She didn't exactly expect the first one, and the latter was a pain in the ass.

The alchemist has a thousand things to say, but she chose this instead. "As you wish, my little friend."

 _That brat has grown up._

Is what Aozaki thought as she watched Lea's retreating back.

XXX

Aozaki watched the blue sparks flew above her head as she fixed the doll arm. It was almost complete – the simple modification to prevent _possession_ , like spirit possession should work.

Should. Ah, but she's confident in her abilities.

The alchemist mended it up with a string, identical to the colour of the doll arm. She stretched her back once she was done with her job and tucked her loose ashen coloured hair behind her ear and smiled at her masterpiece.

Now that she was done, she wrapped the doll arm with a piece of paper and put a little sticky note. It is almost time for Lea Stellar to wake up, especially since it's almost the first light.

She was about to reach her cigarette pack when she suddenly remembered it was finished. She felt disheartened, but brighten up at the thought of torturing her guests. Although Lea refused to be bullied, with the right buttons – Aozaki Yoko can make Lea do some…fishy errands.

There was a dull thud by one of the blackboards out of respect.

"Com'in." Aozaki said, letting her hometown accent rolled off her tongue. Her workshop is huge, and there were no separate rooms – therefore, the blackboards; especially cleaned ones, were substituted as dividers. The doors were just empty space.

She stood up and went to the right, where there was another blackboard, and to discourage any privacy-intruder, there was a small bounded field within the makeshift room. Most visitors wouldn't even realize that unless they try to breach the defense as they wouldn't see the magic circle, glowing faintly red as hundreds of formula over the years accumulate and strengthen it.

The power source was Aozaki Yoko's own mana. As long as she didn't leave the lab, it will be activated constantly. If she does need to leave her lab for a long time, the S-grade mana stones – the greatest and also the most expensive gem stones (also placed on Phantom's cane, the alchemist noted) – filled with her B+ grade mana quality would suffice.

When she turned left the room, the greys met.

…

* * *

…

Aozaki Yoko's expression was priceless – if she had a cigarette in her mouth, it would definitely be dropped onto the marble floor, and forgotten. She was stunned for a while until Jake waved a hand over her face, snapping her out of her daze.

"Jake?! How the fuck did you get here?" She hissed in a dialect from Mu Lung.

The bishop smiled and spread his arms. "'cause I'm me!" Jake replied in the same dialect too.

He had to look down a little since he was slightly taller than the woman.

"Oh…okay." The alchemist sounded unsure, very and before she realized it, Jake embraced her.

Although caught off-guard, the alchemist patted his back. "The title isn't for show…" She muttered before Jake released the older alchemist with a smile.

"So…" Her eyes narrowed with suspicion. "How did you pass through my defenses without my notice?"

If Jake was honest, her bounded field was a tough work. Anyone who doesn't have a strong magic resistance would've turned tail long ago. Throughout the breaching, Jake and his solemn companion were putting up their mental guard. It was simple, but effective – and their mana was enough together to last more than four hours – if his calculation is correct.

Which is more than Jake needed.

"Patience and time and," Jake paused enough for Aozaki to anticipate something dramatic.

"Luck!" finished the Bishop and he pulled out his duffel bag and thrust the cigarette brand which the alchemist always smoke onto Aozaki's hand. She didn't look exactly happy to see him. And from her body language – Jake could tell Aozaki was annoyed, especially with her constant tapping of her left hand, which was holding her favourite cigarette pack.

She looked as if she was debating her actions.

Finally, Aozaki heaved a heavy sigh and slapped his back when she passed him. "As long as you didn't bring a friend along…"

Jake immediately felt guilty. Unfortunately or fortunately, there _will_ _be_ hell.

As soon as _that_ came to his mind, Aozaki's voice echoed, "Lea, can you deliver a parcel to my client?!"

There was a long silence. "As long as you teach Phantom about _the_ theory!" came his little sister's reply.

Well, shit!


	20. Chapter 18 ORIGIN Part 3

**Chapter cover:** A young woman around her 20's standing in the middle of the lush green forest of Leafre, looking up at the deep-blue sky which reflected in her coffee brown eyes. A scar shaped like a moon across her lips and her platinum blonde hair was highlighted with red highlights. She wore a leather armour and brown slacks, and on her palms, was a single purple lily.

* * *

...

 _The smell of dew…the lush forest…the rare fruits of Leafre…the setting sun…this…this place…where was I? I was running away from my pursuer…wounded and-_

 _My mind's blank. Subconsciously, my hand was placed on my face, blocking part of my vision._

 _There was something hard on my back…did I sleep? If so, how long?_

" _T***"_

 _?_

 _Who is it? This voice…_ where _did I hear it?_

" _T***! Mom's asking you to rest! You are still injured!" said the child's voice. There was innocence in it…and awe? Then, a face popped out from above. I was startled by the sudden appearance of a young boy and bit my lip to prevent myself from screaming._

 _He looked around six and his skin was different…there's definitely a purple tinge. The child's left eye…it was covered with his vermilion bang – blind? Fortunately, his right is working just fine._

… _I had to blink twice just in case I'm still hallucinating. There is a demon mark on his left and a cut across his right._

 _Yes, it is a nice view…because his bang was loose and if he comes any closer, his vermilion hair will tickle me._

 _Flames…is what I will describe his irises. They looked as if they were burning and instead of vengeance, it's warm…like a fire most adventurers tended to cook._

 _His hair was slightly long and untidy, as if he didn't come his hair at all – much less, cut them._

 _Odd…_

 _I squinted at his face. There were signs of abuse…who did that?!_

 _My blood boiled from anger. It was very clear, his left cheek was swollen. But since he's not complaining, I won't say anything about it except treat it from my precious medicine supply._

" _Move it." I growled._

 **That's not my voice…that voice sounds higher…**

 _The boy obliged and back away from me._

 _I sighed once and got up and stretched my body. But I overdid it and my stomach hurts! Feeling alarmed, I pulled up my shirt and saw bloody splotches on the white bandage._

 _Hmm…must be fresh wound. Wonderful…I reopened it…should be careful…_

 _I released my dirty shirt and grabbed the boy by the hand, but careful not to crush the small little guy before walking down a path leading to somewhere._

 _His home? Hopefully._

 _It was only then I took notice of his clothes. They were second-hand, but in good condition. There was a red scarf around his neck – cold? Squeaky noise from mud, boots meant for rain. A comfortable shirt and brown pants._

 _I shook my head. I cannot afford to be distracted._

 _After a while, we came to a familiar place. I glanced around, I felt lost in this place._

" _Damien, where's your home?" I said as we halted._

 _He laughed and winced immediately. With infinite patience, he pointed the direction and I followed them. We walked quite some time in this dense forest until I smelled smoke._

 _It has a certain fragrance to it. Food!_

 _My sharp nose caught the scent and I followed it and stumbled to an opening with the little boy. The source of smoke came from the opening – a chimney of a warm home. It was a tiny thing – and my heart fell. It is so farrrrrrrrrrrrrr!_

 _With little urging, we both ran towards it. Gradually, we covered the distance between us, but I had to slow down for the boy and it used a considerably amount of strength._

 _By the time we reached it, I stopped and allow the little boy to catch his breath._

 _The lights are on and there was a person running across it, a woman. Even if it was just a moment, there was worry in her eyes._

 _The house definitely have a woman's touch to it – especially underneath the windows, the golden poppies bloomed marvelously in that two rectangular pots._

 _It has a nice atmosphere to it. I released the child and he ran to the door without me and opened it by himself. Before he entered, he stepped aside and beckoned me in._

Cute _, I thought._

 _I have to smile. He's a cute little gentleman. I stepped inside and felt myself relax a little. It is huge for a house, especially if it is meant for one room only. At one corner, there was a table, and on top of it – there were crayons. At the other end, there was a small kitchen and there was the woman I saw._

 _Sera – I remembered._

 _Orange…carrots. A boiling pot…stew?_

" _Damien, did you fetch our guest?" A kind and motherly voice called, she barely looked out from her job. The door closed behind me and there was a small click – a lock. There was a polished, wooden kitchen counter blocking her bottom half, but it is enough for me to assume she was wearing her nightgown._

 _Unlike her children, her skin was pale and in contrast, her brown hair was rich in colour._

" _Hehe, I did!" said the little kid named Damien. He giggled and I ruffled his hair as if it was the most natural thing to me._

 _Caring for kids that is._

" _Wait here…" I ordered before I grabbed my travelling bag. If I was a bit more alert, I would have noticed a missing obsidian sword._

 _My travelling bag was dirtied from my journey and I dug around my supplies and pulled out a small bottle, with it was a blue string._

 _It was a healing balm I bought from Ariant._

 _I tossed it carelessly and it hit the wall with a loud thump. Then, I heard a loud gasp. I turned towards the source and stared at another boy, this time, with bat wings and his hair is...long. His clothes was identical to Damien's._

 _That's the only similarities between those two other than blood and heritage._

 _Demon blood in his veins. Strong._

 _In his hands, he was holding a…wait, that's_ my _sword!_

 _I sighed. At least it won't unsheathe if it isn't its true owner. True to my words, the white knuckles told me he was trying all his might to pull them apart. With that, Damien came over and wowed at it._

 _At least I don't have to walk to him._

 _I treated his swollen cheek while he was distracted. Unfortunately that lasted for five seconds before he hissed from pain and jumped backwards. I gestured at his cheek._

 _Reluctantly, he came back and allowed me to rub the balm. Once it is fully treated, I closed my precious medicine and said, "_ Mraku _won't unsheathe for you." The older looking boy looked unconvinced, his forehead was beaded with sweat and his long hair stuck to his face._

 _There was a long silence before I took it from his hands with little effort. I stepped back twice and unsheathed_ Mraku _to prove my point. "See? Valfor, you're not worthy of it. But you can try." I hid a smirk when I passed him my sword._

" _Dinner will be ready, get clean…and T***, please sit. We will prepare a bath for you." The boys went like a wind, Mraku spun in midair before gravity took over and clattered to the ground. I stared at it._

 **T*** is not my name!**

"… _Can I help out instead?" The prospect of cooking is better than sitting around and stare at the wall like a doll._

 _Instantly, Sera looked horrified. "Heavens no."_

 _I tried._

 **Whose memory is this?**

…

* * *

…

 **Location: Underground, Magatia  
Time: 05:55:05**

Lea woke up with a start, with the green chandelier staring back at her with the high ceiling. The dream she has…whose memory was it? It was getting more and more frequent, and most of the dreams were foggy – sometimes crystal clear like a place, or people, sometimes just…voices. Both kind and cruel voices.

She groaned softly. She wanted to check the time, but too tired to do so. She mustered as much energy as she could and sat up, the blanket which covered her fluttered to the ground. The floor is clean – Aozaki cleaned them not too long ago with the wind rune. Unless Lea's eyes were deceiving her, the cold, hard floor was sparkling.

A little detail her tired mind dismissed.

XXX

It was suppose to be a simple day. Do errands of Aozaki Yoko for the first time in a long time, watch Phantom get tortured mentally, and wandering around the city of Magatia.

However, that _supposedly_ _simple day_ went for a nice turn.

It took just one measly glance to spot her brother.

Lea did a double take and almost spewed out her amazing coffee (worth 500 mesos) and backtrack just in time to see her elder brother diving into a messy piles of paper. Not that she was complaining, but _why?_ She didn't want to deal with her blood family, neither does he. There was an awkward silence before Lea drank her cup, scalding her tongue in one go and crushed the styrofoam.

Then again, with memories that _definitely_ didn't belong to her bothered her, so it is no longer a simple day?

If she thought she could avoid talking to her brother, as if the Transcendents just want to make her life miserable, Luminous came into her sight - right the moment she was thinking she should just walk straight ahead in the crazy place.

Luminous looked grumpy as usual and Lea's eyebrows twitched with a mixture of annoyance and anger. Slowly, she turned her head to the direction where Jake was hiding.

She is _very_ tempted to murder Jake on the spot. Subconsciously, she reached for her dagger, hidden underneath her cloak until the alchemist came out and swore creatively the moment she saw the light mage. There was a dangerous flame lit up in her eyes. Even from afar, her gray irises have changed to orange, and were wavering like a flame.

"What's this?" hissed Aozaki, the red high heels clicked the marble floor dangerously with every step. For a wild moment, Lea imagined a beast made of flames coming to life behind her, setting fire to experiments and papers within five feet.

Lea rubbed her eyes. The image was gone, but Aozaki was glaring at her with a fiery rage boiling in her eyes. The girl gulped.

She faced many life-and-death situations in the past, but the pressure Aozaki was putting is just crazy.

Then, the puzzles clicked together and Lea pointed at where Jake _is_ hiding with a forced grin. Aozaki's eyes darted in the direction of the finger and snarled like a beast once. Jake lets out an unmanly shriek and scampered away, with the alchemist hot on his heels and yelling, "OH HEAVENS HELP ME!"

Aozaki shouted colourfully and swore punishments – momentary forgetting her invited and uninvited guests.

While the alchemist is distracted, Lea grabbed the confused Luminous by the wrist and forcefully dragged him to where she _thinks_ Phantom is. When Luminous struggled, Lea stopped and flicked his forehead in the blink of an eye and yanked him forward.

Even with Aozaki temporarily lost sight of Lea, the latter felt her heart pounding furiously in her chest.

Lea released the mage's wrist and stopped at a crossroad. "Wonderful." She can't trace Phantom down as they haven't used an ounce of mana in this lab. Even if she did, it would take too much time just to look for a single person – like finding a needle in a haystack.

Lea massaged her head. They didn't have much choice. Convincing Aozaki Yoko is like convincing a mountain to move. Invoking Aozaki's wrath ( _good job Jake_ , Lea added sarcastically) cause a major headache to both the strategist and the coordinator.

"Find Phantom. We _will_ talk. And once you do – try not to make too much… _ruckus_." Lea glanced at Luminous who was rubbing his sore wrist and repeated herself, " _Ruckus_."

"You said it _twice_." Luminous barely hide his irritation in his voice and he took the left while the girl went north. She was tempted to take a shortcut.

For a shortcut – cutting through the towers of papers and climbing over tables and knocking down experiments is a great start. That action is suicidal.

Lea forced the shortcut out of her mind and ran as fast as she could and when she needed to turn, she made a sharp turn and not just once, she knocked a pile of paper, regardless of size. Some went down like dominos, others just flew into the air like a flock of birds, partially blocking her vision when one swatted down her face.

She ran until her legs scream. Hmm…she hasn't even run 10 kilometers and her legs are screaming? Great, she's out of shape.

Even from a good distance, she could hear the roar of the mountain, coming closer…

COMING CLOSER?!

…

* * *

…

Phantom was distracted by a journal – to be more precise, Aozaki Yoko's old journal. It was an amazing find – years of research compiled into one book instead of towering stacks of papers in the lab. No wonder Lea wanted to come here, Aozaki's lab is like a library. There were countless topics inside the book, but the journal was titled 'ORIGIN' – why? When Phantom flipped through the pages, it was obviously not just the theories of Origin. There was also her past detailed inside, dated back to sixty years.

How old is Aozaki Yoko? But Phantom stopped wondering about it the moment he searched what he wanted to look for. The brown leather was softened over the years as his fingers traced it. His amethyst eyes sparkled with amazement. His nose caught the smell of _real_ leather – it can't be brand new! The pages were yellowed, but fortunately, the cursive writing is clear to read.

' _Origin exists in every living being, trees, people, the elves are included. Most do not know their Origin in their lifetimes. Origin also influences a degree of personality. However, knowing the Origin can change a person's personality much more than it is needed – and even controls their actions. That is a rare case, but when it happens, nothing can stop them other than death.'_

Phantom flipped another page of the yellow book; surprisingly the bindings are still strong and continued reading. He blocked out the shouts from wherever it is from. He can't afford to be distracted.

' _In my research – I research about the Origin of body instead of soul. Although I know the basics of the soul, with my doll making skills, I find it easier to research on physical than something we can't see, much less grasp it. The results are not encouraging and I learn that it is impossible to craft a perfect body for other people than yourself. I don't know their conscious mind, their sub-conscious mind, and their super-conscious mind. But I can replace their limbs with a creation of my own – with a payment. It is easy to attach limbs, but their mind? It's difficult.'_

Phantom flipped through the pages – most of it was just minor researches and findings – until one caught his interest. At the top left, was a date, the day and month were faded, but the year was still intact. It read X636, there was a folded triangle on the page too. And Phantom carefully unfolded it and read the entry.

' _I was visited by an alchemist who knew my existence. He sought for me – for one thing._

 _ **Love**_ _. Love for his family. He told me his intentions to become immortal. As a human – he has no hope of surviving for years to come. It is common knowledge an elf will outlive a human. Unless you are a magician, there are no chances of immortality, but I dare not burst his bubble. I could see the conflict in his eyes. He is a bright person, and I saw the determination in his eyes – therefore, I told him my experience._

 _Day after day, he visited my lab, looking more tired than the day before. After one year, he finally told me his project. He also confessed he was relying on another person's research which was a very dark secret of Magatia – what were the odds of finding the_ legendary _lab?_

 _I didn't help him with the body as he made himself a body of steel – based on the_ revised _theory, he will live, but without his memories…forever empty of it._

 _There is only word to describe his creation._

 _Incomplete…_

 _That is the price for relying on the Black Mage's researches.'_

Phantom froze for thirty seconds flat before he reread the last sentence at least three times for the information to sink it and placed a hand on his face.

"You gotta be kidding me…" Disbelief tinged in his voice.

...

* * *

 **A/N: I did the storyline many times and yet, I don't really remember the timeline. Haha, I will be grateful the help. LOL just realized this is the twentieth chapter of TGOS. Funny, it is only the 18th chapter if you don't include the side stories.  
**

 **Thank you for reading! Have a great 2016!**

 **P.S I edited a few grammar mistakes in the previous chapter (forgot to proofread it).**


	21. Chapter 19 Six of Hearts

**Chapter cover:** A child version of Lea Stellar looking up at the sky, one hand towards it.

* * *

...

It took roughly an hour to get caught by Aozaki Yoko – which is a blessing in disguise, because _their_ punishments were light due to their deals. Jake Stellar and Lea Stellar will work as her errand boy-slash-girl for the duration of their _current_ stay.

At the moment, Aozaki Yoko was dangling her foot in her seat as she watched the two children, although one already technically an adult, bickering with each other.

"You just have to bring Luminous here!"

Jake threw his arms in the air in protest. "It's either that or I travel _alone_." He paused and took a deep breath. "ALONE!" Lea winced and covered her ears, childishly singing 'lalalala' while the siblings circled around each other.

The alchemist will never get bored of siblings arguments.

On one side, Phantom was reading her past journals with keen interest while Luminous stood at one side – not sure if he was amused or just shy.

There was another reason why she let the siblings off so easily – it is also partly to a promise she intends to keep.

Finally the bickering went to the point of martial arts. Lea somersaulted in the air and kicked Jake in the face. Jake stumbled backwards and with a grim look, he snapped his broken nose back to its norm and flicked the blood with his thumb in a single swipe. He reached for his staff and spun it around before switching to a more defensive stance as Lea kicked and kicked.

They were even, without one single spell. The metal heels on Lea's boots left a nice crack on the tiles, and Aozaki frowned.

Now she has to fix it.

…

* * *

…

It was already nightfall, and Lea had to buy some food on the surface. She munched down a soft sausage bun, with one hand carrying their dinner. Jake was exchanging knowledge in the alleys of Magatia while she sat on a bench and waited.

During her waiting, a single cat came to her, and meowed. She looked down with a look of pity.

The white cat was just skin and bones, and its voice was weak. It was filthy – the once pristine white fur was caked with dust and dirt. It looked as if it lost many fights with a partially torn ear.

It tried to rub her leg, instead it fell over her boot and stayed there for a while. Lea was afraid the cat died on her foot, gently, she placed her grocery beside her and gingerly picked up the cat. The only sign of life was its chest, moving up and down – and its brown eyes shining with life. It lets out a feeble meow.

Lea chuckled and fed the cat small pieces of her food. The cat nibbled them gratefully. Once it's finished, it wrapped its tail around her wrist and meowed once. It sounded really happy this time.

Alas, like all meetings, they must part at one point of the time.

Lea kept glancing backwards at the cat who sat on the bench. Its tail went into a slight curve beside it.

"Wait."

Jake shrugged and took the dinner from her arm with a knowing grin. "Go ahead. Aozaki could use some animal companion." The siblings locked eyes and Jake jerked his head to the cat. The cat noticed the movement as it jumped down from the bench and ran towards Lea's arms. Although it would've hit the pavement, hard if it weren't for the timing catch.

Lea cooed the cat. "You will be fine…"

The cat merely meowed happily and enjoyed the embrace. And it closed its eyes, content and happy for the first time in its entire life.

Lea closed her eyes as they walked quietly as possible.

"Hey Jake…" She started, cradling the sleeping cat in her arms.

There was a chuckle. "What isit?"

"Am I getting too attached to people?"

Jake hummed thoughtfully. "Aren't _we?_ "

"…a stupid question…"

Jake hummed again, singing a tune, a lullaby from their parents. It brought back bittersweet memories.

The meeting of people…the meaning of letting go…the conversations that never finish…the unanswered questions…knowing you will forget their faces, their voices – knowing you will never see them again, never hearing them…

It was a difficult experience. And it was heartbreaking, knowing one day, they will part suddenly without warning.

 _Death_ is fair to everyone. Some just met _it_ faster – because a blade took them away.

"Hey Jake…"

"What isit?"

"…never mind."

For now, she will enjoy Jake's company and secretly, she was treasuring all the memories she has with her family, with her friends, like Dual.

Unknown to her, she was smiling genuinely for the first time in a long time.

...

* * *

 **A/N: While I was writing this chapter, I remembered the words my teacher used to say about life and death. I was emotional was writing this chapter - I'm not sure how to convey this in words through Lea's and Jake's conversation and Lea's thoughts in this chapter is a reflection of mine. I was intending to put humour in this chapter, but in the end it's more of like contemplating about...well...meetings and partings...**

 **I planned to do an epic chase, but it got too long and draggy that I decided to toss the idea away.**


	22. Chapter 20 Two Avians

**Chapter cover:** Jake and Lea playing chess, the first looking thoughtfully at his white pieces while the latter playing with one of the white pawns she had taken, looking unimpressed.

* * *

...

 **Date: 19/11/ X643**

"OUCH!" Lea had accidentally poked Luminous in the back with her ruler as she shifted it to draw another straight line. It wasn't on purpose and Luminous didn't complain, but moved away from the radius of the ruler. It was longer than what the siblings expected.

She tapped the pen to her chin and glanced at Jake.

Jake could practically see a huge question mark above Lea's head as she stopped drawing. He can't blame her. Lea was drawing the layout of the sewers of Magatia – not a pleasant job, but nonetheless a job.

Jake recalled his memory in the sewers, it was disgusting and with the gas mask, it was bearable. Although Jake's night vision was worse when compared to half-demons, with a special eyedrop, he could in the dark as if it was day. For the last 12 hours, they were wandering about the sewers of Magatia – created by a group called 'The Garden of Sinners'. They had many names, but that particular name stuck.

It was certainly impressive, even after centuries have past, the foundation was still strong.

"Dead end?" Lea asked, blinking once. Jake tapped his hand, "Possible."

The siblings sighed. Even with a draft, they couldn't be sure – and fighting their way through makes their sense all wonky.

Yes, even in the sewers, the monsters are tough with the…fishy experiments. And Lea was underequipped even by a mage's standard. She didn't even have her battle gear with her, and went to the dungeon with just a grey T-shirt, tough jeans and a tiger-striped jacket – the first two specially sewed by from the old tailor of Ellinia, goes by the name of Tan. They were serious goods – people would pay for them, if they know where to look.

How Lea managed to procure the…casual wear was amazing.

He watched his younger sister drew the map. There was a serene look on her face, as if she was an artist painting the landscape she saw in her mind's eye. For a moment, Jake imagined her as a painter, sculpturing statues, dedicated to the Transcendents each with her style with it and her hands caked in clay with chisels and hammers as her tools and some other tools Jake didn't name.

Then, Jake shook his head and smiled at his sister. Lea noticed the smile and gave him a disgusted look before wagging her pen as if Jake was a naughty boy. "Wipe that off,"

Jake pouted for twenty seconds until Luminous came to view and blinked twice.

"Need help?" Luminous asked as he stared down at the map, taking in the information or at least part of it. Jake glanced at Lea who merely shrugged and waved her brother away...rather reluctantly, Jake noted.

"Do your research – Origin has a possibility of being connected to the whatever research you are doing." Lea said it casually. Jake sighed – she was right.

He left Lea alone who went back to drawing lines and writing down details to the minute. By the Transcendents, that ass job will never get done! Especially when it is estimated they only covered 5% of the shit.

The thought itself is so depressing.

Soon, he engrossed himself in the research – with the familiar scratching sound of pens and crushing of papers. The lab is quiet, even with the two Heroes here, Jake prayed he didn't jinx it.

XXX

"You two are boring," Aozaki remarked when she found them drinking tea and relaxing. The siblings stared at her, before looking down at their tea cups and looked at the brown contents of it. They learned from their mistakes; not to respond to any of her comments if possible.

"At least the Heroes will keep me entertained – those two are always at each other throats."

CRASH!

Papers were launched into the air from a distance. For a moment, there was a leather-bound book, before it hit the ground with a loud thud. The three people stared at the yellow papers which were falling gently as gravity took effect. They fervently hoped it wasn't a domino effect – and there was none, much to their relief.

"PHANTOM!" shouted Luminous's voice. Jake pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. Luminous has shouted the thief's name for the umpteenth time – god, how did they even bother liaising in the first place?!

A chuckle caught his ears – and Jake knew it was Aozaki's. The argument began – and it wasn't pleasant to his ears.

"You could've moved to one side-" began Phantom until the light mage shot him down with one word. "Narrow."

"Then you could use an alternative path!"

"And get lost in the labyrinth?" Luminous replied, his tone even. And the conversation went on and on – Jake swore their reasoning skills are sharp. Phantom and Luminous were reading the materials they needed earlier, and highly likely none of them noticed the other.

His sister merely sighed and scowled at her tea – her relaxing mood was gone in an instant. "Must be Phantom's fault."

Aozaki and Jake could only nod in agreement. Phantom has the reputation of being a troublemaker – a legacy of his that was even mentioned in this era. Especially with the grand stealing of jewels – not too long ago, he stole Kerning City's legendary treasure, and it caused an uproar in the Maple World.

Several days later, it was returned with a note attached to it. What it said; nobody knew except for the Dark Lord of Kerning City.

Lea started playing with her sheathed dagger, spinning it around her hand before she suddenly unsheathed and threw it at Jake, fortunately, the dagger slipped between his fingers and did not go further than his fingers as the hilt was too big for the space.

It was undeniable that they needed to move around other than walking.

"Aozaki, think you can make a room for us?" There was a mischievous gleam in Lea's eyes, and Jake didn't know he had the same gleam too. It was as if the two avians spotted their prey – and are about to swoop and grabbed them with their talons.

The only problem: 'who is the _predator_ and who is the _prey_?'

Lea began warming up as if she knew the answer, but Jake politely remained in his seat, but his body itching for some action. It has been a while since they pitted their skills against each other.

The alchemist lit up one cigarette and inhaled it before exhaling the grey smoke. It spiraled upwards and gradually became colorless. "That's a silly question."

...

* * *

 **A/N: I apologize for the short chapter. It's tiring these days with the lectures (and hands-on lessons, especially programming) and also doing tutorials (sort of homework). I can't guarantee that I can update another chapter this month unless I am super free. Thank you for reading this.**


	23. Chapter 21 Weakness

**A/N: Editing all chapters to include like sort of image of chapter cover. You just have to imagine it. Somehow, it makes me more focus on the story or at least I remember the theme of it.**

* * *

 **Chapter cover:** The moon and the blinking stars of the Maple World shone brightly in the sky with two avians flying in the domains of the sky – one white owl with a cut across the right eye – while the second bird, a white dove with a small scroll tied to one of its legs.

* * *

…

The strange trio made their way through the labyrinth with the creator of the Bounded Field leading the siblings. They were quiet for the whole journey, save for the sound of Aozaki's heels clicking the marble tiles. Soon, the marble tiles were replaced by green linoleum tiles. Gradually, the shoutings from the two Heroes faded as they went further into the labyrinth. Soon, instead of a single file, the siblings walked side-by-side as the space became wider, and they stopped at a huge oak double door.

Aozaki reached her hand out and suddenly clenched it. The doors flung open and the cool breeze blew them. Aozaki turned around with her hands on her hips with a stern look.

"Be careful,"

"…what?" came Lea's reply, but Aozaki was inside. The siblings exchanged looks and in unison, they stepped into the new room and gasped when Aozaki lit up the torches. The ceilings were high, and there were countless decorative glass windows – each of them had at least one serpent-like creature in the sky, looking proudly at the people below.

Strangely, they have different colors – was it accidental?

For once, Jake had a grim look on his face as his eyes darted around suspiciously at every object – particularly the pillars which had a strange carving of a serpentine creature. They had passed a second subset of the Bounded Field which surrounded the alchemist's hidden lab.

Calling Aozaki's lab a labyrinth is not far from the truth. Hell, the months they lived temporarily in this lab – even now there was bound to have parts even the creator herself did not explore.

Aozaki's lab is connected to the sewers of Magatia – and from Aozaki's claim, it was practically empty except for a mountain of raw mana stored in S-grade jewels.

Where are _they_ now, Aozaki wasn't sure, because the next thing she knew, the jewels vanished from her sight and were transported to somewhere else via space magic. That piqued her curiosity and one of the reasons why the alchemist is so focused on the Imaginary Element; Space.

"Jake," Lea's voice rang throughout the long hall, bringing back Jake to reality. There was an edge in her voice, and even Aozaki has stopped walking altogether. Then, the smell of singeing flesh reached his nose and the siblings stared at Aozaki's charred hand. Fifty metres away from Aozaki were a metal double door. For a moment, a barrier shimmered into existence with the light bouncing away from it.

The alchemist turned around with a hiss. "We can't go on. Looks like you have to deal with your sparring here."

Lea pointed at the charred hand which Aozaki was cradling. It's hard to believe the Aozaki they see now is just one of the realistic puppets of the _real_ Aozaki. How many puppets she has – the siblings can only guess. "Can't you fix it?"

Aozaki heaved a heavy sigh. "Without my tools, I cannot fix it. Unless you destroy my brain first – then my next puppet in line will come here instead." She narrowed her eyes lightly at Lea who was seriously considering the second option.

Without warning, Lea sprinted forward, leaving zero time for Jake to react. Lea's eyes burned with the intent to kill as an unsheathed dagger was in her hand and she lobbed Aozaki's head off. It rolled across the floor with red liquid staining the floor.

"It should work…" Lea muttered and watched Aozaki's head. The puppet head's eyelids which were close fluttered open. At the same time, the puppet body had fallen backwards into the shimmering barrier and was burned until there was nothing left.

Jake had to stifle a scream.

Lea sighed and picked up Aozaki's head by the ashen hair; the first obviously disgusted by her current action. "The brain…"

Lea tossed the head in the air and switched her dagger position and changed her stance into a throwing stance. It went high up and gravity took over; causing it to fall.

Casually, Lea flicked her knife just in time to impale Aozaki's skull onto one of the carved pillars. The red liquid stained the main body of the serpentine creature. Jake cringed at the sight – by Rhinne's robes, can't Lea do it cleaner?

Jake unslung his staff, anger twisting his usual gentle features as he watched Lea pulling the dagger from the head. He was angry – at himself – at his family – and at her kidnapper, although wiped off from existence.

They were the ones who made Lea the way she _is_ right now. Although she still retained her kindness, with a flick of a switch – she became merciless and sadistic.

The lifeless head fell to the ground with a thud, which echoed in the long hall.

"Let's spar…" She sounded tired, but she moved to her position and readied herself.

Jake didn't answer, but nod.

XXX

Jake unleashed his frustration and rage in the sparring. Every spell he used and utter were fierce and harsh, and more powerful than his usual as it was fueled by his rage. He knew it wasn't a good idea, but he didn't want to keep his emotions in check.

He was supposed to be the calmest among the group – the voice of peace and love. Yes, he is kind and gentle – like a calm sea, which aids the shipfarers to their destination.

Yet, at the same time – he hates his family and himself. His rage was like a tidal wave, threatening to break free of his body.

"ARGH!" Jake shouted as he unleashed three holy arrows; they shone gold instead of pale yellow like most bishops as Jake's mana quality was A+ rated – and it missed the target as it hit the bricked wall behind her. The target had jumped up and backflipped onto one of the golden arrows, standing as easy as balancing ( _that's Lea's flexibility_ , thought Jake) and stared down at Jake with a concern etched in her features.

Jake stared at her, she didn't attempt to counter at all.

"What's wrong with _you?_ " Her tone was harsh, and her mouth was a thin line.

Jake replied by summoning the angel's wings to aid him. The shining white angel's wings sprouted from his back and a glyph appeared underneath Lea's feet. The latter widened her eyes and jumped out just in time for a ray of white light to shoot out from the glyph.

Lea snarled and reversed her grip. She ran up a pillar and used it to aid her in her free-running as she used reinforcement on her feet. To normal people, she would look like a blur.

Even though Lea was moving at the speed of mach 3, he could see it due to their past sparrings when Lea was still living with him.

Fighting against half-demons also trained his kinetic vision as they were faster than an average human like Jake.

However, even a high-caliber mage like him could make a mistake. Lea can be sly if she chooses to, and right now – she's _in_ it. For a moment, Jake saw red highlights on Lea's obsidian hair; and his eyes narrowed lightly.

Then, a cackle came behind him. Jake barely put up his holy magic shell – a last resort for defense – when Lea struck; her right's sclera was black and the iris were golden yellow. For twenty seconds, he's invulnerable to any attacks – including physical.

"Damn, it's been a long time since I move this body around," Lea's voice drawled. Her eyes were slightly wider than usual, and there was an insane and an amused spark in them. Unless his eyes were playing tricks on its own, there was a tinge of pink in her left eye, mixed with black.

He felt his throat constricted. He met _this_ version of Lea once when he was younger, and his body tensed. His grip tightened.

" _Nameless_ ," Jake hissed bitterly.

Nameless smiled and nodded. " _Hello_ , Lea lent me her body for a while. I know the situation, so…" She spun the blade around her fingers expertly, with a confident smirk on her face.

Jake growled. Lea rarely smiles a genuine happy and content smile – even when Lea _smiles_ ; it was either forced or in a silly way – sometimes teasingly, not that it is a bad thing, but it was as if _the torture_ taken her ability to smile happily.

But the inner demon smiled so easily, but there was malice underneath it except it was toned down with Jake. It- _slash_ -she knew Jake wouldn't hurt Lea if he could help it.

The holy magic shell shimmered before it shattered into pieces as the spell was broken. Jake clutched his chest.

"Playtime _is over_." Jake muttered.

"Oh, ho, ho…" Nameless was amused by his bold statement, and her unarmed hand twitched. The flames went out.

The only source of light was the faint glow of Jake's staff and their golden flecks in their eyes – or in Nameless's case, the right golden iris – and a slight reddish-pink in Nameless's left eye.

Nameless closed her eyes, and Jake lost sight of her.

Jake cussed colorfully when he was shoved forward. He turned around just in time to get hit by Nameless's fist. The world went red for a moment. His left cheek throbbing, he glanced around with slightly narrowed eyes.

There was nothing, as if the air was stale.

He heard a sigh beside him. It was Nameless – and Jake took the opening to swing his staff above her head. Nameless caught it between her palms with an amused smirk.

"You suck at fighting in the dark – no wonder Lea always assigns you with people with _superb_ night vision, or someone who can sense life energy."

Sensing mana was one thing – sensing _life_ energy is on a completely different level.

Jake opened his mouth to ask about the technique, only to be cut off when he was forced backwards as Lea gained the upper hand during their clash. Jake cursed his bad footing when he landed on his ass – hard.

Then, the sharp edge of the dagger was placed where his carotid artery is – and Jake gulped, but not releasing his staff to surrender.

Nameless smiled sinisterly – it was creepy with her closed eyelids.

That was the last thing he saw when an excruciating pain shot him from his leg. His left leg felt as it was melting. The world went red and yellow, then black.


	24. Chapter 22 Queen of Spades

**Chapter cover:** The child version of Lea running forward towards the overwhelming darkness while the present Jake, with desperation etched his features, chasing after the child version of his little sister. Farther front of Lea was a brown-haired boy, his face in the shadows.

* * *

…

 **Date: 24/11/ X643**

"Are we there yet?"

The Onyx Dragon flapped its wings to move forward, avoiding the sand on its feet. They were fortunate to find a good shelter from the scorching heat of the desert.

"No,"

"Are we there yet?"

"Mir, we're not even close." Evan answered patiently as they waited for the sun to fall to keep moving. They almost died when they did the opposite – and that is a terrifying experience. He took out his compass and checked if he was going in the right direction.

The needle pointed west, and Evan raised his eyebrows.

"Mir…"

His partner answered cheerily, ignorant to their current predicament. "Yes, master?"

"We're lost."

…

* * *

…

"This is _the_ Dragon Master?" Luminous was rather unimpressed. They were observing him with Luminous's floating orb – his only orb, fueled with foreign mana. It projected Evan's image in the sky instead of the warped images inside it. None of the occupants replied to him.

One was used to his sardonic personality, and was forced to be silent due to a duct tape on his mouth – another patient – the third amused – the fourth, concentrating on the clairvoyance spell.

Surprisingly, there was sufficient space for them to gather in one spot – much to Luminous's annoyance. He felt claustrophobic with the tall towers of yellowish papers around him; and the need to be on his toes just sapped his mental strength. At the cardinal points – north, south, east, and west – were the exits from this room of blackboards. How the ashen haired alchemist lived in this place without much trouble baffled him.

The ashen gray alchemist chuckled before sipping her cup of coffee. "The trail is wiser than any men and animals – it is common knowledge among travelers. I must say, Evan is _green_."

Jake cupped his chin, careful not to move his injured leg even though wound up in thick cast, and was placed straight on the other seat. "Lea…how old is Evan?"

Lea sighed and closed her eyes, still writing in the air with her fingers. The runes glowed blue with power. It was amazing to watch.

Lea's fingers were shrouded with her mana, azure colored mana and as she wrote, and pulled her fingers away from the written runes; little of it went to the vessel and stayed compact.

"One year younger; do the maths." The image fazed for a moment.

Now it showed Evan and Mir panicking in that small cave of theirs. Aozaki was miffed and was even waving her hand dramatically; the coffee threatening to spill. "Read the stars!" Shouted Aozaki, although they couldn't hear.

Luminous scowled. "13…"

"Mm, mmmingmhpm,"

Luminous took this chance to be sassy. "What was that?" He cupped his ear. Phantom was about to take out the silver-grey duct tape, but he hesitated under Luminous's and Jake's eyes. Their eyes were daring him.

"Lucy, Jakey – _stop_ ," there was a dangerous undertone in that single word.

"Lucy?" spluttered Luminous; feeling offended. This just took the cake. Even Phantom don't _nicknamed_ him like a girl!

The master thief was laughing, his shoulders were shaking – and Luminous felt a vein throbbed.

"Yes, Lucy," Lea replied evenly. "Jake, you're in charge of taking care of them."

The bishop protested. "You can't! If you do-"

The image fizzled out as Lea lost her concentration. Almost immediately, it went back on.

"Aozaki, please," Luminous saw a flash of anger in her eyes. That's something as she was still maintaining the spell. Aozaki stepped in and took the burden from Lea; whose head snapped at Jake with murderous intent leaking out from her.

"I am aware of the… _risks_."

Aozaki's eyes narrowed lightly – and Luminous held his breath.

Jake bit his bottom lip. "Then, you should know nobody _can_ protect you!" They glared at each other, but Jake looked away first. He looked upset.

"Nobody can – and none will," Stated Lea calmly, although her hand twitched a little – the heroes noted.

Phantom and Luminous watched the conversation like a ping pong match as their head turned from one sibling to the other.

They watched Jake getting more frustrated and agitated his broken kneecap, fortunately, before more damage could be done, Lea pressed his leg down onto the chair; none too roughly.

"Jake, as the squad leader, I'm afraid you have to obey my orders _if_ I do." Lea swallowed. There was reluctance in her gestures. Jake stared at her and blinked before sighing in defeat. However, there was defiance in his eyes.

"I hear and I obey."

 _Interesting,_ thought Luminous.

There was a yelp from Phantom – and the siblings plus the light mage stared at his red mark from the silver duct tape. Phantom folded the duct tape before rubbing his mouth.

"I'm never doing that again!"

"Nobody asked you to." Luminous muttered, but Phantom ignored him.

Phantom asked curiously, "Lea, what you're going to do?"

Lea had a grim look and told them her plans. Phantom's face blanched, along with Jake's. Luminous just backed away from Lea as calmly as he could.

"May I say this?" Aozaki started; eyes not averting from the spell. "The Stellar clan won't like it, you are too…interactive with _them_."

"Well, squad six is already hated by most of our family – I don't why this will make anything more different. We did this – went there, and got the T-shirt." Lea was closed to snarling. "We know the rules, and _we_ just choose to break them."

The conversation ended as Lea stomped off, ignoring the cries of Jake.

"A woman to woman talk?" Phantom pinched the bridge of his nose. " _So_ unpredictable of Lea."

Luminous couldn't deny it. It is a big risk to take – the elves will either choose to distance themselves from the humanity – or become closer to them for the first time in Maple History.

…

* * *

…

 **Location: Somewhere in Edelstein**

Koli fiddled with his purple Fenrir necklace while sitting on a metal chair of the Resistance hideout. The air wasn't stale nor damp as most underground places tend to be, but it hummed with machineries. The wooden planks and floor were clean – if you don't count the old and new burnt marks.

Fluorescent lights lit up the underground nicely. Some of the rooms were swapped for warm lights. Even if the members of the Resistance were right in front of his eyes, he ignored them, and kept thinking.

It took him almost two months to find the moles. The underlings of the Black Wings were small fries, and not much to worry about even if they come in numbers.

None of them infiltrated the Resistance of Edelstein – much to Koli's surprise and that knowledge alone was enough to make Koli wary.

It was out of experience and Lea's advice that kept him on his toes. Chances of them infiltrating may be nil – but, what happened to those that were caught?

That alone was enough to send cold shivers down to Koli's spine.

"Good job," said a voice. Koli Ayers turned around with a polearm in hand, and relaxed when it was just the headmaster of the school of Edelstein, also the mastermind behind the creation of the Resistance. Koli chose to nod instead of speaking.

The simple door closed lightly. The orange light made the Headmaster's features murky, and his clothes in a shade darker. Koli stood up and bowed in greeting before sitting down.

"I daresay, when I first saw you – I thought you were a spy." The Headmaster started and readjusted his monocle, waiting for Koli to say something. When there was none, the Headmaster smiled and leaned on his walking cane. "You looked like those heroes." Koli stared at him, lips pursed.

"So…are you here from the _Alliance?_ " The Headmaster managed to inject venom into the single word. Koli merely smiled.

' _Be as vague as possible._ ' Lea's advice echoed in the mercenary's mind.

"I take it as a 'yes'…" The Headmaster's bushy eyebrows furrowed, and caused wrinkles on his forehead.

"Although I forgive Ereve, my colleagues – especially the elder ones, are not willing." He paused. "You're not much of a talker, aren't you?"

Koli grinned. "I prefer not to say much – sir." He added.

The old man was not convinced as he let out a long hm. Koli leaned back onto his chair and relaxed as best as he could – it has been a while since he last saw his employer and fellow colleague.

"Have a good day…" The Headmaster went out with the tailcoat bouncing on the back of his legs as he walked.

...

* * *

 **A/N: Expect slow updates from here on. God, multitasking between studies and writing is difficult, but if push come to shove, I'm sorry - the studies takes priority. Thank you for waiting patiently for the next update!**


	25. Chapter 23 Nine of Clubs

**A/N: Attention to all readers and writers! Come to MapleStory forum of FFnet! Join the Club!**

 **Add this "/forum/Maplestory-FanFic-Club/188097/" after the net.  
**

 **Now doing second edits for chapters I really find not good in my standards. It will take some time…since I am also doing future chapters.**

* * *

 **Chapter cover:** Lea, Jake and Crow holding their respective cards – Four of Clubs, Four of Hearts, Four of Spades. The wooden table between the three showed a chess game, two white pawns and a rook taken out while the black side only has pawns taken.

* * *

…

 **Date: 27/11/ X643**

"Is she here?!" Kuan asked over the flapping of wings and the blow of the wind, risking bugs entering her mouth. It was almost four hours since they flew, and their legs were getting sore, their clothes and skin were wet with the rain clouds when they passed through. Even if they wanted to change; they couldn't.

Kuan's gryphon happily snapped a bug and she petted it.

Crow was silent, his unbuttoned coat and red scarf were dancing with the wind.

Instead of answering, he tugged his reins and they dived towards the ground. There – they could see a desert. It was beautiful – the sand looked as if they were diamonds when the moon shines on them. The shifting sand made it look as if it has waves like a real sea.

It caught their breaths; and Kuan almost pulled the reins back until Crow shouted and pointed at a lone figure that had suddenly stopped. "THERE!"

They dug their heels towards the gryphons' sensitive spot and they dived down, gradually reaching the lone traveler. The sudden gust of wind blew the hood of the lone traveler back, revealing their squad leader who has a grim expression on her face.

…

* * *

…

At the same time, the three boys discussed about the ideas where the twins may be hiding. Aozaki watched them as the discussion was coming to a close.

"Bounded field – that's the only explanation." Luminous concluded, looking thoughtful. Phantom nodded and glanced at Jake, who opened his mouth, and almost immediately close it shut once he found he couldn't argue with the logic.

"With so many people searching, what baffles me most is _none_ of us could detect it." Phantom muttered, crossing his arms.

Aozaki cleared her throat. "Boys, it is not impossible; perhaps the bounded field was modified to prevent _norm_ from entering – or to be more accurate," She paused, tapping her hand. "people with the intent to fight, or search for them."

Jake's eyes widened – Luminous's eyes narrowed.

"Impossible." Phantom voiced their thoughts out.

Aozaki glared at the thief, and bit her bottom lip to prevent saying foul words.

Jake said slowly. "It will be unstable...if it succeeds."

Phantom snapped his head to Jake; eyebrows raised, but wisely choose not to question his wisdom.

" _Tracing_ ," Luminous suggested.

Aozaki stopped tapping her hand, feeling incredulous.

 _ **Tracing**_ _a person?_ The alchemist and the bishop thought simultaneously.

"Are you serious? Okay, maybe by a long shot," Jake added hastily under Luminous's glare.

"Phantom _is_ an expert in that field." The light mage gave the master thief a look.

There was a clash of wills in their brief eye contact. The purples narrowed by a fraction, while the red and blue looked on coolly – one in protest, another cold, or to be more accurate, blank.

Luminous isn't taking no for an answer.

Phantom relented. "Fine, one condition – why the Black Wings want your sister so much…"

Jake closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then, opened his eyes and nodded without hesitation.

They deserve the answers. Phantom has controlled himself from asking sensitive questions about Lea around the person in question. Plus, if they want to have trusted allies, might as well share the information to sate their thirst of knowledge.

Aozaki clapped her hands once. "First, Phantom – keep your end of your deal." Then, she glanced over at Jake who was massaging his temple, muttering under his breath.

Phantom smirked. "A gentleman always keeps his word,"

Luminous scowled. It was plain obvious he didn't trust Phantom – whatever their history was, Jake can ask later.

Phantom traced his cane with his finger, his lips pursed. "May I have some chalk and crystals? I lack the tools I need-"

He was suddenly inundated by mana jewels and boxes of chalks. The two mages gave the alchemist a look. She shrugged innocently, but the small mischievous smirk betrayed her earlier action.

"He didn't specify how _many_."

Jake opened his mouth to speak one word in one of Mu Lung's dialects. "Fair."

"…two Phantoms?" Luminous sounded unsure, and his expression was one close to horror.

XXX

Phantom clapped his hand off the white chalk and stood up to admire his handiwork. "This is the first time I will do ' _Tracing_ ' in such a large scale," stated Phantom casually, and glanced at Jake with an annoyed look.

Jake nodded and smiled just to humor the thief, and sneakily kicked Luminous in the leg (earning a distrustful glare) as Luminous opened his mouth to prevent Phantom's mood to be soured.

"Oops," Jake muttered. Luminous's features were twisted with a single frown.

Aozaki chuckled quietly at a corner.

Phantom rubbed his gloved hands together before picking up his cane, which lay adjacent from the owner. Its ruby gleamed for a moment before the hollow spaces in it was filled with colorless mana.

The scrawled runes and the magic circle, the four cardinal points have three jewels each, for extra measure, flared to life the moment Phantom started his ' _tracing_ '. For once in a long time, Phantom was quiet except for his deep breathing.

His purple pupils turned became smaller, with a hint of dark blue in them.

"Barriers…" muttered Phantom, eyes slightly narrowed. Luminous stared at the activated magic circle and saw the jewels gradually becoming empty of their resource.

"Brea' 'em." Aozaki let her accent slipped. The magic circle glowed brighter than before, until it was blinding white. Aozaki, Luminous and Jake averted their gaze from the magic circle.

Before Jake the magic circle glowed brighter, he saw an expression of surprise on Phantom. It was brief, and Jake almost dismissed it as his imagination.

Almost.

Fortunately for Jake's corneas, he has a pair of sunglasses in his pocket, but even if he put them on, the light was too bright – and it was close to an effect of whiteout. He couldn't see anything.

Then, it died down suddenly and Phantom was on the floor, panting heavily – and his skin, was paler than usual. He was perspiring…badly. His normally tidy sandy blonde hair was now plastered to his forehead.

That was enough to send Jake's healing sense tingling as he skirted around the magic circle just to reach Phantom. The circle glowed dimly, blue this time, but it flickered weakly – a sign it was barely sustaining itself with the almost emptied mana jewels.

"Lie down," Jake ordered. Phantom complied, still breathing heavily, eyes closed.

Jake removed the hat carefully and placed the object beside the owner.

"How are you feeling?"

 _Probably fine,_ thought Jake…unrealistically.

Phantom's eyes opened. "Horrible – imagine shaking your head hard in a concert, and have a concussion at worst."

"You attend concerts?!"

Phantom chuckled weakly.

"Did you manage to pinpoint their location?" Luminous asked, none too kindly. Behind the boys was Aozaki, making some gestures as she improvised the magic formula to do something else.

The master thief groaned. "Not now…"

Jake felt a pang of guilt which lasted one second. "Sorry, before you passed out – the information must be with us first."

Another groan. "I hate you guys. And don't kill me off too fast!" Jake gave him an apologetic look.

Luminous being serious and all, retorted. "Ditto."

Unexpectedly, it was Aozaki who told them. "Leafre, the forest of the ancients." Jake looked back and his jaw dropped at the sight. Luminous saw the image, and his expression looked grimmer than usual.

The image showed a massive blob of black – a curse?

Around it, the trees withered, leafless and their once healthy brown bark turned black. The grass which once grew became black soil instead of brown. For a moment, Jake thought he saw a person cloaked with brown earth screaming.

He rubbed his eyes with his hands and looked again where he saw the person in earth.

"There's nothing?" Jake muttered. Aozaki scoffed at his question.

"Look," said Aozaki as she pointed at the corner of the image.

The two mages stared hard, it was screaming mutely. It was gesturing at the cursed barrier, and then clawed its own throat, digging out more red dirt (Jake swore it was the color of blood). Though it has an expression one of human – it looked like a mask, right out of a horror movie.

" _Gaea_ – also known to us alchemist and mages, _the World_."

"It saw us?" Disbelief colored Luminous's voice.

The shadows from his bangs cast a shadow over his eyes, giving him a dark look. "Yes…" Jake said before turning around and ran to his supplies, restrapping his staff and slung his bag over his shoulder.

An unspoken cue told Luminous to pack too. With a gesture, Luminous sighed once and packed Phantom's items too. The brown cloak was thrown over Phantom, who sat up, now looking healthier.

Jake checked Phantom's condition once.

 _Still slightly pale, breathing normal…exhausted from mana – with a good rest, Phantom will be good._

"Good to go." Concluded Jake. Phantom let out a weak cheer and placed his hat back onto his head.

Then, Jake faced Aozaki Yoko.

"Aozaki, please."

"Take the boys with you – if Lea was here, I wouldn't have kicked them out." Jake felt as if he was stabbed by icicles.

It was a fact Aozaki Yoko was no saint.

Jake gritted his teeth. "Very well," he bowed stiffly. "one request – sent us to Leafre."

Aozaki grinned before taking a cigg out. "As you wish." And she hummed.

Once the alchemist was out of hearing range, Luminous whispered, " _The World_ interfered?"

It is a rare case for the World to manifest in physical realm – even rarer, favoring its guardians…or people.

"Those people must be important. It chooses us – to help them." Jake added as an afterthought.

Nobody could argue with that logic.

Aozaki puffed a smoke. "Ready?"

The boys exchanged a look – did they have a choice?

Jake let out a defeated sigh. "Yes."

The boys took one last look at the image before taking a piece of runestone, inscribed with the rune portal and they sent part of their mana into it.

The world suddenly didn't know the concept of space – and they sunk straight into the portal which was summoned beneath their feet.


	26. Chapter 24 Four of Hearts

**A/N: Attention to all readers and writers! Come to MapleStory forum of FFnet! Join the Club!**

 ** **Add this "/forum/Maplestory-FanFic-Club/188097/" after the net.****

* * *

 **Chapter cover:** Crow and Nameless facing back to back while sitting on their chairs with a cruel light dancing in their eyes.

* * *

…

 **Date: -/-/ X636**

" _Again!"_

 _The little Crow rushed forward to his opponent, his hand reaching for the handgun, but he was too slow as the hand was suddenly shot off, leaving a bloody stump._

 _He let out a scream, eyes filled with absolute hatred at the trainer, cradling the bloody stump._

 _The adult, eyes were as hard as tone; glared at the half-breed. "AGAIN!"_

XXX

 **Present**

Crow's eyes glazed over the desert. The cool breeze blowing in his face just made him relax. His grip on the reins went slack, then tightened the moment he heard a blood-churning roar at a distance.

 _What was that?!_

Crow came back to reality and stared down – he couldn't see from this height. And with the grey clouds, worse. And with this height? It was amazing they managed to survive the atmospheric pressure on them.

" _Eagle Eye_ ," Crow mumbled under his breath. Immediately, his eyes reinforced until he has an eagle's sight. The clouds were still blocking most of his vision.

He cursed under his breath and nudged his gryphon lightly with his heel. It dived down until he could see the beauty of nature. Crow pulled the reins back and it lets out a caw in protest as it stopped, still flapping its wings to keep itself and the owner airborne.

The silver moon hung in the sky along with its stars, its companion. The desert sand shifted like a gliding wave – however, among the movements – he saw something unnatural.

 _That_ something isn't moving as one. It wasn't pushed forward like a wave, but move when the current isn't against _it_.

He squinted, when a sand wave was coming, it stopped. The brown wings flapping in the wind.

Confused, Crow chose to observe longer.

After a few minutes of observation, he realized it was a traveler's cloak. Then, he or she was on the move again.

Once, twice, it stopped again when the current flowed over the traveler.

"…Lea?"

It was a risky bet – but they have nothing to lose except for their ego.

He glanced back at Kuan, her pink pigtails were dancing with the wind, and it was amazing they haven't whipped her face yet – considering the wind's direction.

"THERE!" He shouted, pointing when the traveler stopped again. In an unspoken cue, their heels squeezed their respective gryphon's sensitive spot and it dived down – this time with full speed.

As they got closer, the wind blew the traveler's hood back, revealing his sister who was at first surprised, and quickly replaced with a grim expression. Once they were on the ground (or sand in their case), the gryphons cawed unhappily, stretching its wings before folding them and circled around, with the rider.

"…Crow," said Lea Stellar with her usual monotone voice once they dismount. "Kuan, what are you doing here?"

Kuan's excited expression fell, and she stared blankly at Lea, who blinked. The older girl (a.k.a Kuan) hugged Crow's leg.

Crow sighed inwardly, he hated his partner.

He gestured to his gryphon. "Let's talk when we are in a safer place?"

It was a question.

Lea raised her eyebrows, before her eyes narrowed lightly. It was brief, but Crow felt his throat constricted. He couldn't lie to her, unless he wants a verbal and physical lashing.

Or if he was lucky, just a playful slap on his wrist and a compliment.

Lea glanced backwards – Crow and Kuan followed her gaze and found nothing, but Lea's expression changed briefly from surprise to annoyance. She clapped his shoulder once as she passed by him, towards the gryphons.

Without another word, they mounted the gryphons (while Lea with Crow) and shot off to the skies.

XXX

 **Location: Somewhere above Ossyria**

They flew for almost three hours when they descended onto the ground of El Nath. It was bitterly cold, their exhaled breaths were just white puffs and their clothes have frost on it.

The moment Crow touched the ground with his boots, he felt immense pressure on his body. In another moment, it was gone.

If his teammates felt it, they didn't show it.

The snow covered their ankles, and Kuan was shivering badly especially in her hot pink frilly dress – very unsuitable for cold weather.

The gryphons' wings kept flapping, and they screeched once before leaving them on a cliff, attracting the monsters which lived there.

Lea was at the edge, looking down from the cliff with her a small scowl on her face. " _Antique?_ "

Crow nodded. "We will have privacy there…"

They could hear Kuan's chattering teeth, it was almost comical. "COLD!"

Lea's eyes gleamed with amusement – so was Crow's. "If you have enough energy to complain," She paused, and a piercing howl came. "Then you _can_ fight." Lea hissed out before jumping down from the cliff.

Kuan muttered some unflattering comments before following their leader.

Crow sniffed the air once and his expression soured.

The smell of rotting corpse stood out strong even with the newly fallen snow. He glanced backwards at Von Leon's castle, it was impressive even from afar. Even though the castle walls and gates were battered, they stood strong.

 _Bad nose!_

Since birth, Crow's nose can smell the mana – each of them has their individual scent. Lea's was more of the sea breeze, the one reminded Crow of the twilight while Jake's is like a smell of a prayer's smell of oil.

Crow shook his thoughts out from his head and focused to the misty bottom. The howls of pain and cries of death pierced the very air and soul of the land and maniacal laughter mingling together.

 _Whose voice is it?_

Crow took a few steps back before sprinting and jumped off the cliff.

It was a thrill Crow will never forget as the blood rushed into his head, heightening his already sharp senses. His hand gripped the hilt of his sword while the other covered his forehead, eyes slightly narrowed as multiple small figures came to his sight, but as quickly as they came, the mist clouded his eyes.

He unsheathed quickly and sliced the air and the once misty ground became clear. Slowly, but steadily, his mana flowed from his hands to his weapon, and reinforced it.

Unlike his siblings, his mana color was slightly orange with a hint of black.

He kept falling and landed onto one of the brown, huge Werewolves which was sneaking up on his partner – right at its head, killing it instantly. Crow hopped off before it crashed into the snow.

"Glad you could make it," Kuan greeted him before throwing one of her aluminum knives, glowing slight pink with her mana with reinforcement spell. It struck one of the eyes of the charging werewolves and exploded into bits of flesh, blood and fur.

Those disgusting things matted his hair and clothes, causing Crow to make a sour face, well, more sour-er than before.

"Oops?"

Crow pointed to his eyes, then at Kuan, swearing revenge before doing a backhand slash to the werewolf behind him.

The werewolf stumbled backwards, snowing them with its flustered leg movements. Crow took advantage of the cover of white by cutting down another three pairs of werewolves' legs.

However, the werewolves recovered quickly as the cuts were shallow, their black eyes burning with silent anger. As one, they howled and charged in all fours – almost causing a mini avalanche.

He readied his sword once more, this time with the intent to kill.

Before Crow could deliver the fatal blow, a flash of blue passed, and blood spurted out from multiple wounds on the werewolves' body and they fell, still. Crow blinked and stared at his sister who was running a hand through her messy hair, the brown hairband was lost somewhere during the battle.

"Too slow," Lea said before dashing off to another unfortunate target.

Crow didn't waste much time before doing the same as his squad mates.

They kept fighting until they reached a safe zone – a powerful bounded field to keep the monsters away fueled by A-rank mana jewels. Crow stabbed the white snow with his blade and gratefully fell backwards, catching his breath. Kuan didn't follow him, and instead check her weapon supplies – and she let out a heavy sigh.

"Running low," warned Kuan followed by another enraged werewolf howl.

In an unspoken cue, Kuan and Crow looked at the weary Lea. Lea stared back and shrugged, "We don't have the supplies to camp for more than two days…" She trailed off, her eyebrows knitted together and placed a gloved finger on her lips, looking thoughtful.

"If we can get to town before nightfall, we have a chance to book a room for three."

"Great plan, one question. _How?_ " Kuan made a dramatic gesture to her feet.

"Shadow travelling."

Crow and Kuan blinked twice and stared at each other. It took roughly twenty seconds for the information to sink it.

Kuan did an X with her arms.

"We don't have the energy," Kuan reasoned.

Lea sighed before turning around and ran out, cutting their precious reprieve short.

…

* * *

 **A/N: Shadow travelling is also used in chapter 10.5! How and who can use it will be explained in future chapters.**


	27. Chapter 25 Second move, The Rook

**A/N: Attention to all readers and writers! Come to MapleStory forum of FFnet! Join the Club!**

 **Add this "/forum/Maplestory-FanFic-Club/188097/" after the net.**

* * *

 **Chapter cover:** Phantom, Luminous and Jake running as one in a single file, facing to the right. Facing to the left was another trio, Kuan, Crow and Lea, their weapons pointed at a human silhouette.

* * *

…

 **Location: Forest of Leafre**

"Oof,"

"Can't move!" Phantom whined.

"You three are squashing me…" Jake muttered once he got his breath back. One by one, they untangled themselves and looked at their surroundings with critical eyes.

Here, it was calm, soothing even with the movement of the winds and the chirping of birds.

That feeling was banished in an instant when a sense of foreboding settled in their minds.

"They should be around here…" Phantom stated, his jewel on his cane glowing faintly though he was really relaxed about it. Luminous glared at the thief and shook his head, rolling his eyes to the heavens as if asking the heavens to save him.

Jake struggled to keep his face blank.

"Awesome," Jake grinned in a way that made them feel uneasy. "how about concentrating on tracking them?"

They counted fifteen seconds before Phantom recovered himself by tipping his head like a gentleman to Jake.

Phantom grinned back, equally unnerving. "It's hard to believe you and Lea are siblings."

Jake wasn't sure how to comment on it except raised his eyebrows.

Luminous rolled his eyes to the heavens and stormed off. The rustling of leaves and the squashed marks of the grass indicated where the mage of Aurora went off to.

The slight throbbing on his left leg distracted Jake and he rubbed it gingerly. If it weren't for his _awesome_ healing spell, he knew he would be crawling now.

As long as he didn't strain himself, the spell will remain – thought Jake darkly.

…

* * *

…

 **Meanwhile…**

 _ **Name…a name…give me one!**_ The demon's voice rang in her ears.

Lea hissed. She was almost at the town of El Nath when her mind began to split on its own.

She groaned in pain, yellow and black spots danced in front of her very eyes. It cost her as one White Fang bit her right arm. Out of reflex, her free hand grabbed the monster by its neck and pulled it hard.

It released her with a yelp and Lea threw it.

It slammed against a rocky wall. Dust and snow came down from sheer force, forcing the monster to be buried.

Almost immediately, the pierced flesh and muscle regenerated until it was pink and raw.

 _ **A NAME!**_

The inner demon demanded a name – a name to be called, a name to draw power from and a name to be identified.

Lea felt groggy, but not groggy enough to lose focus on her enemies. The reinforced dagger, its magic path glowed dangerously bright red. It was only Lea's only warning before it shattered into shrapnels – piercing both its allies and enemies alike.

Gritting her teeth, Lea used her bare fists and heavy boots to fight against the monsters, ignoring the small metal which had pierced her stomach.

"LEADER!" Kuan yelled and a metallic item was thrown into the air.

"WHAT?!" Crow answered instead and Lea took solace in imaging her little brother as a baby with a white diaper and crawling on the polished wooden floor of their old home.

Even in the heat of battle, Lea couldn't help, but chuckled. Her left hand touched the small shrapnel and gripped it, ignoring the stinging pain from both her stomach and hand before pulling it out and tossed the object aside.

Lea spared a glance at the item as it reflected the light of the setting sun. She quickly finished her foes before jumping as high as she could, narrowly escaping a feral bite as the jaws of one of the white fangs snapped shut loudly.

The obsidian hair colored leader then used the poor white fang as a stepping stone to grab the metallic weapon, its leather grip perfectly fit her hand.

She twisted her body in time for her feet to touch something solid – another rocky wall, and pushed herself forward. As quick as lighting, the white fang was cut into two by the curved short sword. The poor monster didn't have time to howl to warn its comrades as its spilt body crashed to its pack, momentary confusing them.

 _ **I want to be acknowledged.**_

The inner demon hummed an annoying tune. It sounded as if a bee was buzzing in her ear.

Lea heaved a heavy sigh before she shifted her weight, and bounced on her feet.

" _I_ will see about it," Lea promised aloud and the humming stopped, leaving the leader to deal with their foes.

…

* * *

…

 **Location: Unknown**

Arkarium stared at his crystal ball which was placed on a broken pedestal with a sad expression – a rare expression for his fellow comrades-in-arms. But none dared to challenge him nor remarked on it. They respected him for he is the right-hand man of the Black Mage, the master they serve.

"Master Arkarium," one of his serpent servants muttered, bowing low in respect before rising up to face the former time keeper.

"The ritual is ready," said the servant.

The commander didn't bat an eye nor did he turn his gaze away from the crystal orb.

"Master?"

Arkarium finally looked away from it, waving a hand over his orb and power of darkness filled it once more. The former time keeper finally has his serious face back, his eyes gleaming maliciously like reptiles in the dark.

"It's time for the black Rook to take the White Queen…"

Then, with a single spell, a portal made of darkness opened beside him and the commander entered without hesitation.

Immediately, the bounded warriors of old met his old eyes.

Arkarium's familiar slithered down from the staff and went to the girl's side and coiled around her body. It went to her shoulders and let out a fork tongue to taste her scent.

The commander himself felt he was facing the wrath of nature and turned to the direction of the sensation.

One pair of icy blue eyes glared at him, but not thrashing in his bonds like the first day. Even though weakened a great deal, his spirit wasn't broken, so were his sharp senses.

They looked perfectly healthy, which puzzled Arkarium. They were supposed to _be_ malnourished, with a lack of necessary food. He made sure to feed them enough to survive through the day.

Then, his eyes went to the bonds, the chains which were once black with corruption showed a silver tint to it.

The magic bonds which bound him were weakened somehow – was it his will?

Arkarium pushed the matter back to his mind and looked at the blind child, whose conscious kept wavering like day and night. He walked to her side, his black robes sweeping up dirt behind him, and gently touched her cheek.

It felt human – not an animal.

"…How disturbing…" He muttered as he let his fingers traced her collarbone, her unblemished skin. The shadow of the warrior didn't stir, much less took notice of the touch.

"To think the mighty wielder of the ' _Blue Flame_ ' is a _human_. Now, break. Submit to us!"

He clenched his fist, activating the binding spell, tightening the bonds and the air rippled with the sounds of the girl's screams. Her voice was hoarse from screaming.

It _is_ music to his ears.

"Begin," intoned the commander.

Then, a bright purple magic circle with symbols spoke of soul and allegiance surrounded the screaming child, struggling in her bonds. Arkarium chanted furiously and quickly under his breath, eager to accomplish what he had sought.

Halfway during the spell, his _familiar_ hissed angrily before releasing the shaky child. It hated to be parted with the child.

"Be ours, o' great beast." Declared the commander with an evil glint in his eye once he finished the spell.

The exposed neck glowed for a moment, and the magic circle faded.

Her branded neck revealed a black, burnt mark like a necklace, the symbol of the Black Mage rested slightly above her cleavage.

It is worth waiting for aeons for the beast's return – thought Arkarium with amusement as he stroked his long beard; the place was silent saved for the cries of outrage from her partner and the haggard breathing of the beast.

His master will be pleased with the new puppet.


End file.
